Slough not going down without a fight

If Slough CC are relegated this season then one thing is for sure - they will not be going down without a fight.

The Home Counties Premier side recorded a morale boasting six-wicket win over fellow strugglers Reading on Saturday in what skipper Bobby Sher described as a ‘cup final’.

Victory pulled Slough out of the Division 1 relegation zone and opened up a 25-point gap between them and danger, a reminder to the league that the 2006 champions and 2007 runners-up are still a force to be reckoned with.

“We needed the win and we got it,” beamed Sher. “I drummed it into the lads and made sure they knew how big a game it was for us. It was like a cup final, a real make or break game.”

He added: “To be honest, if we had lost to Reading, I don’t think we would have survived. It would still have been possible, but if you don’t beat a fellow struggler then you don’t know where your next win is going to come from.”

Beating one of their rivals at the bottom of the table has given the club a huge confidence boost and momentum at precisely the right time, with only five games to go to secure their status in the flagship league of local cricket.

“It was a good win but we’ve got five games left to go,” warned the skipper. “It gives us confidence because it was such an emphatic win. It just goes to show what we are capable of when we knuckle down.”

Sher added: “Lately we’ve been playing some good cricket. The boys are working hard and training hard to get us out of trouble.”

Tomorrow (Saturday) Slough face an away trip to Banbury and Sher is anticipating a very tough challenge.

“They’re fifth in the league and only five points off the top,” he said. “It’s going to be a tough one. Playing at their ground is always difficult. They’re playing good cricket and have had good results, including beating us earlier in the year.”