Published: Thursday, 3rd September, 2009 1:30pm

Slough hit rock bottom

Cricket

Bobby Sher

SLOUGH surrendered their top flight status as they went down with a whimper, being thrashed by the only side they could mathematically catch, Oxford.

Hopefully the talented young cricketers at the club can come back stronger next year but they have lacked the killer touch this season with zero victories from 17 games despite putting themselves in enough winning positions to finish mid-table if they had have finished off the job.

Skipper Bobby Sher admitted: "To be honest with you after last week, it's a bit hard to bring yourself up and the guys are fasting as well so it's very difficult.

"We are where we are - we haven't been able to put decent performances into winning games.

"At that level of cricket you cannot expect to stay up."

Oxford still needed a handful of points to ensure their place at the top table in the Home Counties Premier League so it was no surprise that when skipper Jason Harrison won the toss to chose to bat first and they got the start they were after.

He put on 89 with Christopher Sandbach (25) for the first wicket and Perveiz Aziz struck for a second time to remove Harrison but not before the Bucks opener had made 86.

A half century from Nick Ferraby (52) and useful contributions from Joe Porter (36 not out) and Ian Crosby (27) helped take the score up to 254-5.

Sher also claimed two wickets with Raheel Zaman also getting in on the act with one.

Slough looked like a beaten side in the reply as only three men reached double figures. Opener Fahim Qureshi made a fluent 31 before he fell to Nick Ferraby but that broke a 50 run second wicket stand with Michael Payne (49) who tried to hold the innings together.

Further down the order, Gheyas Khan blasted 43 from 32 balls, including five fours and two sixes but it was only a brief flash in the pan as it slightly delayed the inevitable.

Slough were all out for 130 with Francois Vainker taking 4-31 and Rupert Evans 3-28.