1st XI Blushes Saved by Underdown & Leather Before Rain

The visitors were the newly promoted Reed CC team, who were looking to make an impression on their more established opposition.

As the captains met in the middle for the toss, there looked to be a something in the wicket for the bowlers, and with the threat of persistent rain in the afternoon, the Reed captain opted to bowl first. Whilst the home skipper would have made the same decision, he encouraged his new look batting line up to take the opportunity to put down a marker for the rest of the season.

Openers Will Ray and Jamie Riddle started positively against Reed’s disciplined opening pair of Ed Wharton and Jack Tidey, keeping out the good ball and punishing the looser deliveries. The score had progressed to 29 when Ray was trapped in front off the bowling of Wharton and given his marching orders by the umpire.

Hertford’s positive start was further undone as Riddle soon joined his opening partner back in the pavilion after edging one through to the keeper for 17. The two quick wickets brought two of Hertford’s new boys, Alan Jones and Sam Davis, to the crease on their first home league appearances for Hertford. The pair were eager to impress the smaller than usual home crowd but unfortunately it was not to be. Davis was the next man to go, edging Cooper to first slip whilst driving off the back foot. Max Lawrance then joined Jones but his stay at the crease was only brief, departing LBW on his first delivery faced to record his second duck in succession.

Hertford’s skipper Ben Cowell survived the hattrick ball from Cooper, but he too did not last long and was cleaned bowled by a sharp Tidey yorker for 0. Having seen three of his teammates depart Jones tried to turn the tide and struck 3 boundaries from the following Cooper over. Now joined in the middle by James Leather, Jones looked to see out the final over from Reed opener Tidey. However, he managed to hit a sweetly timed shot straight into the hands of the man at mid-wicket and departed for 24, with the home side struggling on 67-6.

Adam Carlson and Rob Slater soon came and went without troubling the scores, leaving Leather to be joined by Jonny Underdown. Hertford knew that if they could stick in and bat the majority of their allotted 45 overs then they would be able to post a score that they would be able to defend.

Reed, sensing that now was the time to drive home their advantage, offered Leather the single with the hope of bowling as many deliveries as possible at Underdown. However, the youngster wasn’t perturbed and looked to be positive when a ball was in his arc. With a flurry of boundaries, the score quickly ticked up to 145-8 and Herford has their eye on a score of 180 which seemed out of the question when the previous wicket fell. However, Underdown was then dismissed for 31, caught at mid-wicket off the bowling of Toby Fynn.

Hertford number 11 Andrew Knight survived an appeal for caught behind from his first delivery and then proceeded to play and miss at his next two. Leather, sensing that the innings may soon be over, looked to take the attack to the returning Cooper but after striking a boundary from the first ball, was caught at long off attempting to clear the ropes. Leather’s 41 runs had helped Hertford creep up to 149 all out which, whilst being somewhat under par, also felt defendable given the home side’s strong seam attack.

However, with the second innings set up so promisingly the rain started to come down at Balls Park. Any initial optimism that this would be a passing shower soon dissipated as the players and umpires realised that the rain was set in for the afternoon. After waiting it out for a couple of hours the umpires and captains agreed that enough was enough and the players bumped elbows to signify that the match was abandoned.

Written by James Leather.