Sher refuses to panic

Bobby Sher says he will not panic until Slough CC are mathematically certain of being relegated.

Although the Home Counties Premier League table doesn’t look too pretty for the Upton Court Park side, their skipper admits he will not worry about it until nearer the end of the season.

“We start worrying when mathematically we can’t stay up,” said all-rounder Sher.

Defeat to league leaders and Division 1 title-favourites Henley on Saturday leaves Slough second from bottom, just ahead of local rivals Farnham Royal - both have yet to win this season.

Sher has called for his side, who were champions in 2006, to find an extra 10 per cent in matches, a margin he thinks will start returning victories.

“At Henley we lost the game in the beginning of both innings,” he explained.

“We didn’t bowl well and if you win the toss at Henley and choose to bowl you need to pick up a couple of early wickets. Then batting-wise when you open up and find yourself on 3-3, you are going to struggle.”

Faced with a match against second-placed Banbury tomorrow (Saturday), Sher added: “It’s good for us. These are the proper tests we need.

“But at the moment we are falling 10 per cent short and we must find that bit extra.”

An area where Slough may be able to find that little bit extra is in the top order.

At Henley, four of the top five batsmen were dismissed for just 11 runs between them, three sent back for ducks.

It left just opener Gheyas Khan to maintain any respectability with a knock 49.

“The top five batsmen, apart from Gheyas, only scored 11 runs between them,” said Sher.

“When you fall 63 runs short of victory that is a problem.”

Slough expect to have Rishi Sharath back for Banbury, but Michael Payne and Fahim Qureshi remain absent.