Roberts and Scriven hit the target in quick time

ON yet another weekend when the weather laid waste to the fixture card, HENLEY were fortunate to play and win for the second week running when few others did, to open a 13-point lead at the top of Division 1 of the Home Counties Premier League above Datchet who are the visitors to the Brakspear Ground tomorrow (Saturday).

The omens were not good at Bourton Road, BUCKINGHAM, on Saturday morning. Water had got under the covers and rain was all about.

However, the rain held off, the sun came out, the groundsman worked his magic and after the umpires and a couple of bowlers had turned their arms over to see how the wicket was behaving, the umpires declared themselves satisfied and play began at 1pm, the game reduced to 43 overs apiece.

Winning the toss and fielding on days like this is key. Henley got their way and Buckingham Town found themselves batting in tricky conditions.

After 10 overs, they were 33 runs to the good before Wells, who had made most of the running, was out caught by Tom Scriven at long leg. Progress remained slow. King found Matt Rowe at short midwicket and Tomlinson, who had survived an appeal for caught at slip which the umpires adjudged had not carried, finally departed, for a painstaking nine off 52 balls, caught behind.

At 49-3 with the best of the batting back in the hutch, Buckingham were wobbling and in sunny conditions for a change, they came apart at the seams.

Shane Shillingford, once of the West Indies test team and now Buckingham’s overseas player, clipped a Euan Woods delivery to Nugent at cover, Euan Brock juggled and caught Deal for Wood’s second scalp and Large, who on his day can hit a ball a long way, was the miserly Ali Raja’s first of 4-12 off nine overs.

Resistance crumbled as Brock administered the final blow to trap Bryce lbw and Buckingham subsided to 97 all out in 39 overs, which included a generous 24 extras.

At this point, the weather decided to get in on the act. The wind got up, the skies darkened and a short sharp cocktail of cold stinging rain and a dash of hail enveloped the ground briefly, but long enough to reduce the Henley innings to 39 overs and the revised target to 90.

In the event, Henley in the form of skipper Mike Roberts (31 off 34 balls, one four, three sixes) and Scriven, (45 off 43 balls, seven fours and a six) who has been in prolific form recently for Hampshire 2nds, needed just 12.1 overs to get the job done, dispatching the ball to all parts.