Reed 3rd XI continued their excellent start to the season on Saturday with a professional 101-run victory away at Potton Town 2nd XI in difficult, weather-affected conditions.

With grey clouds overhead and rain threatening throughout the afternoon, Reed lost the toss and were asked to bat first, but responded superbly with a disciplined and controlled batting performance to post an impressive 242-3 from their 40 overs.

Contributions came throughout the order, with openers Richard Johnson (36) and Chris Cooper (67) batting well respectively and laying the platform with a solid opening partnership. David Shagam then accelerated the innings with an aggressive 51 from 44 balls, before Stanley Cooper (48 no) and Simon Jackson (18 no) both closed off the innings superbly.

As the rain started to fall intermittently, there was a race to get through the early overs to ensure enough balls were bowled to secure a result, adding extra pressure and intensity to the second innings.

Reed’s bowlers and fielders set to work, producing another hardworking and professional display. Birthday boy Matthew Jackson picked up two wickets with excellent economy across two spells, while the returning Sam Dawson looked exceptionally quick and claimed two valuable wickets.

Matt Yates bowled with excellent control to take two wickets of his own, while Stanley Cooper chipped in with another two wickets as Reed maintained pressure throughout.

There was also a memorable maiden senior adult league wicket for Ethan Fox, who swapped his usual influence with the bat for the ball, removing the dangerous Potton captain Sam Worthington, whose 80 had held the home side’s innings together.

The damp ball and awkward conditions made things challenging throughout, but Reed stuck at the task brilliantly, maintaining pressure in the field and keeping standards high despite the challenging conditions.

A strong all-round team performance ultimately secured a convincing 101-run victory and another 30-point haul, making it two wins from two to begin the new season.

Reed would also like to thank Potton Town for their excellent hospitality throughout the afternoon, including a superb tea, warm welcome and post-match drink enjoyed by both sides after the game.

The team now look forward to continuing their strong start to the season next week with a home fixture against Hatfield.