A game between top of the table Reed and bottom placed Leverstock Green should have been a formality, but the result looked to be going to the wire until Will Heslam tempted skipper and top scorer Charlie Mahanama into a false shot and Leverstock’s challenge petered out.
Having been put in, Reed built a sound foundation to their innings with Tom Thorpe (36) and Heslam (29) putting on 63. However, as the wicket started to take seam both perished and the hosts slipped to 114-6, staring at a seriously under par score. They were rescued by the second half century stand between the elegant Charlie Walters whose 40 turned out to be the top score in the match and a commendably restrained Sean Tidey. The latter fell for 39 with two overs remaining as Reed finished with a respectable 195-9. Dale Littlejohn was the pick of the visitor’s bowling registering figures of 4-40.
Leverstock’s innings followed a similar pattern to Reed’s with the openers compiling 42 together before Heslam struck twice in two balls. This left their two gun batters together and the game took a significant turn when Julien Fynn had Sol Tomlinson caught by Thorpe for 39 and in the same over Aussie, Alex King brilliantly pouched by Max Stevenson rushing in from the cover boundary and taking a two-handed diving catch. Ollie Johnson and Matt Giblin then picked up the middle order leaving the innings tottering precariously on 102-6. It was then that Mahanama took over slowly overhauling Reed’s total until with the score on 163 he was deceived on 37 by a slower ball and lobbed another catch to Stevenson – but much simpler this time. Heslam finished with 3-48 from his 10 overs while the ever-versatile Tidey turned his hand to bowling out the tail taking 3 wickets for just 26 runs (including one caught by substitute keeper, Lankester!) Leverstock Green all out 164.
So Reed remains top, but face another crucial game next week against second placed Ampthill.