DATCHET might have exhausted their chances of winning Division One of the Home Counties Premier League this season after a nine-wicket defeat to Tring Park on Saturday, writes Rob Stevens.
In an incredible match at The Wally Gage Memorial Ground, the home team were skittled out for just 68 runs giving Tring, who are battling against relegation, an unlikely win to move clear of the bottom two positions in the division.
The result is bad news for Slough who remain in the two relegation spots following their two-wicket defeat at the hands of league leaders Henley at Upton Court Park.
With five matches left in the season, the table now leaves
Slough15 points from safety and
Datchet53 behind defending champions Henley. Slough are due to host Tring Park on August 17 while Datchet and Henley meet in a top-of-the-table clash on the final day of the season (September 7).
Datchet won the coin toss and elected to bat first last weekend but only Oliver Birts (17) and Chris Peploe (13) could reach double figures in their total of 68 from 27.5 overs.
Mohamad Choudhry led the Tring bowling attack from the front with his figures of 4-18 from 11 overs, which included the wickets of captain Steven Naylor, David Brent, Jonty Jenner and Vishal Aeri all without troubling the scorers.
Choudhry opened the bowling with Simon Stanway who returned 4-25 in his 12 overs.
The visitors managed 69-1 in 16.4 overs in response to secure only their third league win in 13 matches this season.
Opening batsman Alexander Woodland (38) and David Burnell (30 not out) put on 57 runs for the first wicket, which went to Peploe in his 1-10 from six overs.
Henley won the toss and elected to field first in their match against Slough, with the home side making 119 runs all out in 38.3 overs.
Captain and number four Gotham Shrikrishna was the leading runs scorer with 38 from 73 balls, with five boundaries.
Tom Scriven was the destroyer-in-chief for Henley with his figures of 7-40 from 17 overs, which included the wicket of Sulaiman Akhtar for a third ball duck.
Scriven was recording career-best figures and his first five-wicket haul of the season, giving him a new average this summer of 14.96.
The visitors managed 120-8 in 41.4 overs in response to remain unbeaten this season and on course to complete a hat-trick of Division One titles.
Number eight Andy Rishton top-scored with an unbeaten 36 runs from 61 balls, with six boundaries.
Rishton and number 10 Tom Nugent (28*) went unbeaten in a ninth-wicket partnership of 71 runs as Henley recovered from 49-8 to snatch a victory from the jaws of defeat.
The wickets were shared amongst the Slough bowlers with the best of those being Nabeel Janed, who returned 2-25 from his nine overs.
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