SLOUGH CC skipper Bobby Sher has hit out at his side’s lack of form with the bat after watching them fall to a 15-run defeat at home to High Wycombe in Home Counties Division One.

The hosts produced a solid bowling performance after High Wycombe had elected to bat and managed to dismiss the visitors for 169 on a good wicket.

However, the hard work of the bowlers - including Raja Nawaz (6-48) - was undone with a series of loose shots and silly dismissals as Slough slipped to seventh in the table.

And Sher was left extremely frustrated by the performance, lamenting repeat mistakes and a lack of fight as the primary reasons for the defeat.

“Unfortunately with the bat it is the same old story,” he said. “We did not have the heart to stay in.

“It is a game we should have won but not one batsman scored more than 26 runs, but it was a good 250-plus cricket wicket.

“Since the second game we played, no one in particular has done very well with the bat.

“It is something we are definitely going to address in training as there is a mindset to go out there and bat to score runs quickly, but it is a matter of occupying the crease and the runs will come.” It was a frustrating day for Slough as they looked to get a win under their belt and start looking up the Home Counties table.

The signs were good for the hosts when Sher (2-22), Ali Akbar (2-47) and Nawaz - who bowled his brilliant spell despite fasting for Ramadam - ripped through the High Wycombe batting line up to dismiss them with relative ease.

Only Alex Morgan (44) offered any stubborn resistance for the visitors with a solid knock from 109 balls.

Slough moved to 37 without loss early on as Waqas Hussain (21) and Nabil Shah (14) looked comfortable but when Shah was caught, two more wickets followed quickly to leave Slough on 42-3.

Shaan Khan (26) and Sher (19) came together briefly and put on a partnership of 35 but once Sher was clean bowled by the dangerous James Benning (5-54), wickets fell at regular intervals as Slough looked vulnerable at the crease.

The hosts went from 78-3 to 97-7 as the middle order failed to make an impact, leaving the tail end to try and force Slough over the line.

Daniyal Akhtar (19) and Nawaz (26*) put on a ninth-wicket partnership of 36 to do themselves justice, but once Akhtar was bowled, the 10th wicket fell almost immediately after to leave Slough 15 runs from victory.

It was a frustrating afternoon for the hosts who would have been confident of picking up victory after an impressive bowling spell.

Sher’s men will aim to bounce back on Saturday when they travel to bottom of the league Harefield, who have not won a game all season.

And the Slough captain believes it is a game they cannot afford to lose if they are to achieve a top-five finish.

“Harefield is a must win game for us,” he added. “But having said that they have beaten us three times recently.

“They are a bogey side for us, and we need to overcome that and get a win.

“When we get a win under our belt, hopefully we will be okay but we are not helped by the stop start nature of the season.

“It is a lot tighter as due to the weather no-one has a clear lead. I still back the side to be in the top five.” **PICK up a copy of the Observer, out now, for all the latest sports news and action including a complete cricket round-up** **FOLLOW the Observer on Twitter at @Observer_sports**