WOKINGHAM produced an excellent all-round team performance to beat Amersham by four wickets at Sadlers End on Saturday, writes Dave Wright.

Max Uttley claimed 4-40 and Iain Muirden took four catches to restrict the visitors to 216-9 in their 58 overs with wickets also falling to Jacob Clark (2-37), Simon Myles (2-31) and James Bird (1-24).

The man they found hardest to shift was Andy Viney, with the Amersham skipper making an excellent 98 off 152 balls before being the ninth man out, caught in the deep by Muirden off the bowling of Myles.

Then a half-century from Michael Bates, along with 40 plus scores from Archie Carter and Bird saw the Oaks go on to secure their fourth Home Counties Premier League Division Two victory of the season.

Skipper Stuart Parsons said: "It was great to see so many players in good form as that is just what we need at this stage of the season. We are now in the business part of the season with 25 points up for grabs in each game, so this was an important win for us and I was massively pleased with it as Amersham are a decent side.

"We showed a lot of intensity on what must surely have been the hottest day of the season. I reckon the temperature must have reached 33 degrees."

The Oaks lasted the pace better than their visitors although seamer Sam Helm deserves a great deal of credit as he got through 24.4 overs without a break to finish with figures of 3-96.

Helm denied half-centuries for Carter, who was just three runs short when caught in the slips, while Bird was trapped lbw on 44.

Bates fell the same way to spinner Maduka Liyanapathiranage for 54, which came from 69 deliveries. He and Bird added 67 for the fifth wicket, while Bird and Ben Myles (20 not out) put on a valuable 48 for the next wicket.

Wokingham reached their target with 2.2 overs to spare.

This victory lifted them to sixth in the table ahead of their visit to fifth-placed Burnham this Saturday.

Meanwhile Carter is leading Wellington College in a four-team festival this week – his last games as a student – looking to take his total number of runs past the 1,000 mark.

"I think I'm 50 to 70 short," he said ahead of the opening game against Sedbergh School.

In Division 3a of the Thames Valley League, second-placed Wokingham 2nds inflicted a first defeat of the season on table-toppers Binfield, running out seven-wicket victors in a high-scoring affair.

Opener Wynand Lamprecht made the most of being dropped early on as his 103 helped the hosts to an imposing 289-5, Tom Andrews blasting an unbeaten 79 from just 38 balls as the Oaks wilted in the heat late on.

Young Charlie Carter (3-91) and Callum Creighton (2-27) were the Wokingham wicket-takers.

In reply the visitors reached their target (290-3) with 17 balls to spare as Stuart Hayter (88), Craig Beales (80) and Jack Fisher (64no) led the charge.

Jake Turner took 4-26 and Rahul Patel made 71 as Wokingham 3rds (190-5) beat Bagshot 2nds (189-8) by five wickets to stay second in Division 4a.

Wokingham 4ths were edged out by eight runs at Slough 5ths in Division 7a.

Hugh Doyle claimed 5-65 to restrict the hosts to 230-9, but despite skipper Rakesh Patel making 101 in reply, the Oaks were bowled out for 222.

Skipper Toqir Khalid top scored with 70 for Wokingham 5ths (134), but they went down by six wickets to Bradfield 2nds (135-4) in Division 8a.

Rachel Heath (6-13 and 60 not out) starred with bat and ball as Wokingham Oaks & Acorns (124-2) beat Wargrave 4ths (122) by eight wickets to pick up their first Division 9a win of the campaign.