SHRIVENHAM were left extremely frustrated after torrential rain forced play to be abandoned just five balls away from a result at Oxenford, writes James Harris.

Rain earlier in the day had forced the umpires to reduce the game to 35 overs per side and thanks to a superb 62 not out from Rhys Mills, Shrivenham left the hosts requiring 212 to win after tea.

In reply, Oxenford’s Junaid Aziz (50) and Zain Iqbal (43) ensured the hosts kept in touch with the required rate, but after a few overs of torrential rain, the umpires were seemingly left no choice but to take the players off, with Oxenford requiring 16 from the final five balls.

Shrivenham skipper Alex Bowles was left particularly angered with the eventual outcome of the game: He said: “It was frustrating for both sides. We thought we were close to victory, but Oxenford weren’t out of it by any stretch of the imagination.

“The game was tightly contested throughout and neither team deserved it to end like it did.”

The skipper added: “We can’t dwell on the final result now and I thought our batting was fantastic.

“Rhys (Mills) got us some much needed late runs and that was a superb knock, but Tom (Swann), Will (Snell) and Conor (Taylor) all got 30s at the top of the order which was crucial in setting the platform for Rhys to explode in the final overs.”

Will Snell’s 3-37 was the pick of Shrivenham’s response with the ball as the visitors restricted Oxenford to 196-6 before the rain came.

Shrivenham host struggling Chadlington next weekend as they hope to bounce back from Saturday’s disappointment.