Standing strong in the face of adversity, temporary captain Reed inspired a diminished Sidbury team to a comprehensive win against the Geriatrics.

The eight-man squad was bolstered by family volunteers and what turned out to be a significant last minute acquisition from the Geriatrics themselves. Appeasing the opponents desire for a declaration game, Reed won the toss and elected to bat.

A stroke of genius from the skipper saw the selection of Bishop as an opening partner for the ever-present Pollard, and what a combination it turned out to be. Accumulating 151 runs between them for the first wicket, the partnership can certainly be regarded as one of the club’s greats.

Indeed, Pollard played magnificently for his maiden ton, amassing 14 boundaries at a strike rate of 132. Simultaneously, Bishop played an innings straight out of the batting manual; unfortunate not to reach a ton of his own, he guided himself to a dominant half-century.

After such an imposing start, the middle order failed to match the same control and potency; chasing after quick runs to set a record total, wickets began to fall. That being said, Reed displayed remarkable flair to deliver a quick-fire 35, as Sidbury closed their innings at 224/4.

With the Geriatrics losing a significant player from their batting line-up, it was always going to be a challenge to mount a competitive reply. However, several good innings from the home team frustrated the Sidbury bowlers.

Tight bowling from Crick soon payed dividends however, as the veteran picked up two maidens and a wicket, finishing with figures of 1-6 from six overs. Acquired from the Geriatrics pre-match, ‘Bernie’ also provided devastating flight and guile as he picked up two wickets of his own to further hinder the Geriatrics’ reply.

Aggressive and fast spells from both Reed and Stone pegged back the reply further, whilst Higgs supplied outstanding variation to ultimately deliver Sidbury a comprehensive win.

Thanks go to the Geriatrics for a great afternoon of cricket, and best of luck to the injured Padfield in his recovery.