Swardeston set up another crack at national glory on Sunday with a comfortable victory in the south east area final of the Vitality Club Twenty20 competition.
Swardeston will be going for a hat-trick of wins in the prestigious competition, having won it twice before in 2010 and 2016.
Slough won the toss and elected to field first following the overnight rain, but the hosts rose to the challenge, with brothers Jordan and Callum Taylor putting on 64 for the first wicket before the latter was bowled for 36 off only 24 balls.
There was disappointment when Jason Reynolds was bowled for 10 and skipper Gatting was run out for nine. But Taylor went on to make 59 off 46 balls before becoming the final batsmen to be dismissed after putting on 44 for the fourth wicket with Peter Lambert, who finished unbeaten on 28 in the company of Lewis Denmark (16 not out) as the innings closed on 164-4.
It was a solid total, although perhaps slightly lower than the home side had been hoping for, but as the wickets started to tumble it gradually became clear that it would be more than enough.
With a top score of just 34, Slough succumbed for 132 with one over unused and the Swardeston celebrations could begin. Callum Taylor took 3-20 from his four overs to wrap things up while the evergreen Mark Thomas had figures of 3-34.
Swardeston: J Taylor c D Akhtar b Sher 59, C Taylor b Raja 36, J Reynolds b N Akhtar 10, J Gatting run out 9, P Lambert not out 28, L Denmark not out 16, Extras 3w, 2lb, 1b 6, Total 164-4. Fall: 1-64, 2-82, 3-100, 4-144. Bowling: Nawaz 2-0-29-0, Haroon 4-0-28-0, Khan 2-0-16-0, Raja 4-0-22-1, N Akhtar 4-0-24-1, S Akhtar 2-0-21-0, Sher 2-0-21-1.
Slough: N Shah run out 17, Z Sher c Gatting b Flatt 5, S Khan lbw b Thomas 22, Y Rafiq c Reynolds b Ruffell 5, D Akhtar c Gatting b Oxley 34, N Akhtar st Reynolds b Thomas 3, M Haroon c Gatting b Thomas 11, S Akhtar c Gatting b C Taylor 5, I Nawaz b C Taylor 0, F Noor c&b C Taylor 9, A Raja not out 4. Extras: 2nb, 6w, 5lb, 4b. Total 132. Fall: 1-11, 2-30, 3-52, 4-63, 5-85, 6-100, 7-116, 8-117, 9-123.
Report courtesy of Eastern Daily Press.
Photographs courtesy of Dale Clarke.
