Datchet in touching distance of leaders
Home Counties Cricket League: Barrett’s men beat Finchampstead by 70 runs
The topsy-turvy nature of this season’s Home Counties League Division 1 continued at the weekend as Datchet beat Finchampstead by 70 runs to put them back within touching distance of new leaders Wokingham with three matches to play.
Aston Rowant went into the weekend with the slightest of advantages over the chasing pack, however, their two-wicket defeat to Henley has opened the door to a raft of challengers, including Datchet.
The top seven sides in the division are separated by less than 20 points.
Joe Barrett’s are fifth, but only 16 points off top spot and could conceivably leapfrog those rivals should they find some form in their remaining matches.
This was a day when Datchet dominated with the bat before patiently going about their business in the field to get the job done.
After winning the toss they racked up an impressive 368-6 from their 50 overs, with Barrett helping himself to 124 from 85 deliveries and Billy Mead adding 68 further down the order.
Finchampstead were made to toil in the field, but they fared a little better at the crease, frustrating their hosts for 49 overs, even if they were always well behind the run rate in this win-lose encounter.
Bobby Sher finished with his side’s best figures of 3-61.
Next week will be key to their hopes as they visit second-placed Aston Rowant hopeful of making further inroads.
Not too far behind them are Nadeem Syed’s Slough, who condemned Oxford to an 11th defeat of the season on Saturday.
Having been put into bat, the visitors managed a healthy 287-9 from their 50 overs, with Rahim Akhtar opening with 51 in a stand of 65 with Yaqoot Rariq (45). But the standout performer for them in recent weeks has been Mishan Silva, and he hammered 96 from 87 balls before falling lbw to Oxford’s key performer, George Tait (5-44). In reply, Syed took an impressive 6-33 as the hosts were dismissed for 143 in 36.1 overs.
Although Slough have been edged out of title contention, they can still have a major say over who lifts the trophy this summer, with the team to host High Wycombe on Saturday before visiting fourth placed Banbury the following weekend.