Reed travelled to fifth-placed Hatfield Hyde with what some would call a below-strength team. Skipper Chris Cooper won the toss and decided to bat on another scorching day.

A slow but measured start by Reed opening pair Paul Garrott and Chris Cooper saw Reed to 35 before the fall of the first wicket, Cooper trapped lbw to Rajput for a patient 14. This brought Richard Johnson to the wicket. He and Garrott continued to steadily increase the run rate with boundaries at regular intervals on a lightning-fast outfield.

Just as a decent partnership was beginning to form, Johnson unluckily chopped on to his stumps for 19. At this stage Reed's innings was in the balance, but in came the in-form Simon Jackson. Jackson and Garrott further accelerated the score with excellent running between the wickets and regular boundaries. This took Reed to 156 before Garrott finally fell for a well-constructed 58, run out while trying another quick run.

Despite this, Jackson continued to play freely and was well supported by the Reed middle order of Lloyd Bowman (17) and young Eddie Heslam, making his Reed 3rd XI debut. Jackson eventually departed towards the end of the innings for a brilliant 59, helping Reed reach a more than defendable 211. This was despite a few of the opposition players claiming that "250 was par"!

Despite Reed having runs to play with, they knew they would have to bowl with discipline and patience to break through Hatfield's top order. A quick start by opener Watson, including one big six, set Hatfield off nicely in pursuit of 212. However, when he was dismissed for 23, Hatfield had already lost fellow opener Kajar (4) and number three Gazzini (6), leaving them precariously placed on 45-3.

Opening bowlers Matthew Jackson and George Wood bowled with great skill, with Jackson picking up both openers and Wood dismissing Gazzini. They were supported brilliantly by Zak Rouse, who bowled with great control to take 3 for 33 from his eight overs. Stanley Johnson also bowled well, taking 1 wicket for 32 from his six overs.
At this point it looked as though Reed would kick on and win the game comfortably, but this wasn't to be the case. A mixture of slight complacency from Reed, combined with resilience from the Hatfield batters, kept them in the game and there was a genuine chance the match could go down to the wire. Rajput followed his excellent bowling display with a quickfire 39 from 39 balls. He was well supported by young Carter, who scored 15 not out.

With the pressure beginning to build, skipper Cooper turned to young debutant Eddie Heslam. Despite his age, he bowled with great composure and removed the dangerous Rajput and then Aamir to turn the game firmly back in Reed's favour. It was then down to Cooper to take the remaining wicket and seal another vital 30 points towards Reed's goal of promotion from Division 13.

A great team performance in which all players contributed. A special mention to Reed's young bowlers Eddie Heslam and Zak Rouse, who were excellent. Eddie, also making his 3rd XI debut, will hopefully be the first of many. Reed now move on to a home game against Botany Bay before a huge encounter with league leaders Weston.