HIGH Wycombe claimed a draw with Radlett at the weekend as rain ruined their chances of a win, while the weather saved Beaconsfield's bacon in their clash with Reading in the Home Counties Premier League.

It was a disappointing result for Wycombe who had been looking to see off Radlett, who are sitting in the bottom half of the table, as they bid to keep their championship hopes on course.

At London Road, Radlett got off to a good, if not fortunate, start with Fielden (29) and Warren (35) putting on 60 for the first wicket from 20 overs.

Both batsmen regularly played and missed, but occasionally played a powerful stroke to score a boundary and keep the scoreboard ticking over.

Wycombe claimed a second wicket just after the lunch break, with the score on 88 from 36 overs.

That followed a period of accurate bowling from Tim Scriven and Jarrard Travaglia, which restricted the scoring and created pressure for the batsmen.

A fruitful eight overs followed which produced only eight runs but accounted for another four wickets, including one piece of exceptional fielding for a direct hit run out by Jamie Benning.

The remainder of the Radlett innings was centred around Allen (37 no) with the last 21 overs producing 65 runs and a further two wickets.

Again, the bowling display was dominated by Tim Scriven, five for 51, from 25 overs, and Jarrard Travaglia, one for 33, from 21 overs.

Just as Wycombe were about to start their innings a light drizzle started.

This delayed the start for 45 minutes, which resulted in a loss of 13 overs, and due to league rules no reduction in required runs for the side batting second.

This immediately left Wycombe chasing four-an-over on a wearing wicket.

In their haste to score runs, the Wycombe batsmen played some ambitious shots, and soon found themselves on 48 for five after 17 overs.

Both Mark Morgan (24) and Steve Bird (23) repaired some of the damage, putting on 47 from 14 overs.

When Mark Morgan was out, 67 runs were needed from only ten overs.

Wycombe had a disastrous four overs, losing another three wickets trying to keep up with the required rate.

This left the last pair six overs to score 48.

They made a valiant effort, but ran out of overs, eventually scoring 33, just 15 short of the target.

Rain came to Beaconsfield's rescue in their encounter with Reading.

Against the strongest opening attack they have faced this season, Beaconsfield struggled to 143 all out.

Paceman Chris Batt, who has played for Middlesex, captured five for 34 in a hostile spell, while his partner Saeed, who has played for Pakistan, hit Simon Perks on the helmet before dismissing him.

Leg spinner David Hartley wrapped up the innings, with extras being the top scorer with 30.

After one heavy shower, Beaconsfield were forced to bowl with a wet ball.

A tidy spell from left-arm spinner Nayan Doshi was not matched by the rest of the attack and Reading had progressed to 90 for one from 26.1 overs, when a heavy storm ended play for the day.

In Division Two (West), Amersham had a disastrous day crashing to 78 all out against Henley.

Amersham were dismissed in just 35 overs with Safraz doing most of the damage, claiming six for 39.

In reply, Henley reached the target, losing three wickets on the way in 18 overs.

Marlow also lost out at the weekend. They went down by ten wickets to Tring Park.

Marlow were all out for 108 before Tring Park rattled off the target, without losing a wicket, in 21 overs.