SLOUGH are facing an uphill battle for survival in Division One of the Home Counties Premier League this season after a six-wicket defeat at Aston Rowant on Saturday, writes Rob Stevens.
finished as runners-up behind champions Henley and won the Twenty20 competition last season, but a winter of change does not seem to be working for the Upton Court Park-based club.
The first team has now not won a league game in 10 weeks, five defeats and three draws plus one abandoned game, since the victory against Aston Rowant in the reverse fixture back in June.
This most recent loss sees them remain bottom of the league table but now 18 points from safety with four matches still to play this season.
Slough won the coin toss and elected to bat first at Butts Way, the visitors making just 79 runs all out in 30.3 overs.
Number four Girinath Reddy Poreddy was the leading runs scorer with 53 from 81 balls, including seven boundaries. It is his third half-century of the season and means he has now scored 23.35 per-cent of team runs this summer.
Leo Bethell led the Aston Rowant bowling attack with his figures of 5-35 from nine overs, which included the wickets of captain Goutham Shrikrishna, Syed Waqar Ali Shah and Sulaiman Akhtar all without troubling the scorers. It is the first time this season he has taken five wickets or more in a match this season and the fifth time in his career, giving him a new average of 22.60 for the campaign.
Bethell was ably supported by Wesley Morrick with his figures of 3-27 from 14 overs.
The home team managed 82-4 from 15.3 overs in response for a sixth win in 14 league matches this season, leaving them in fourth position in the table.
Captain and number four Joshua Smith carried his bat through for an unbeaten 54 runs in just 43 balls, including seven boundaries. It is his fifth half-century of the season and gives him a new average of 52.07 for the campaign.
Poreddy was the pick of the Slough bowlers with his figures of 2-24 from six overs.
Slough return to Upton Court Park for a must-win match against third from bottom Tring Park this Saturday (11am start).
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