Published: Wednesday, 10th September, 2008 4:00pm

Barnes men left high and dry as rain confirms drop

by Ben Steele

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READING were left to helplessly watch the late-summer rain bring an end to their ever-present record in Division One of Home Counties League cricket on Saturday.

Despite only winning one game all season, the Sonning Lane side still harboured hopes of a miraculous final-day escape ahead of their clash with title-chasing Tring Park.

But Friday night's torrential downpour, allied to constant showers throughout Saturday, meant that just a single over of play was possible in Hertfordshire.

Standing 12 points behind Slough going into the final round of matches, the six points garnered from an abandoned contest left David Barnes' men resigned to the drop to Division Two West.

Despite never taking the title, Reading were one of just three teams (along with Banbury and High Wycombe) to have spent all nine seasons since the formation of the Home Counties League in the top division.

And skipper Barnes admitted that being part of the first Reading squad to suffer relegation had left its mark on the players.

He said: "Obviously it was very disappointing. It would have been good to go out there and play for our place, but the way the weather has been over the last few weeks, there was always the chance it might end like that.

"The bottom line is that we have not been good enough and not played well enough over the whole season to stay in this league.

"The boys are very upset. It's a big club and very disappointing to be part of the team that has gone down.

"Some of the senior players are very proud of their achievements in helping to make the club as big as it was and that makes what has happened this year even harder to take."

Barnes admits that he has taken the relegation disappointment personally.

But the Berkshire opener confirmed that no discussions had yet taken place about his role at the club next season.

He admitted: "I haven't thought about my own situation yet - we've had an important game for Berkshire that started on Sunday.

"But once that has wound down, then I'll be having a sit down and a chat with the committee and seeing what they want to do.

"It's obviously very disappointing at the moment. It's my responsibility as captain and something that is very difficult to stomach."

Although Reading's sole victory came in their opening game of the season against West Berkshire rivals, and fellow relegated side Falkland, the struggles of Bobby Sher's Slough side meant that the final relegation spot was still up for grabs on the final day.

And Barnes believes that his side had the chance of securing their safety on more than one occasion.

He explained: "Looking back now, had we won another two games we would have been okay.

"And we had the chance to be in that position. There were three or four occasions when we have had chances t

"In the past, when Reading Cricket Club was faced with those sort of situations we were able to get the win we needed. This year, for whatever reason, we couldn't do that and that is what cost us in the end."

Reading were one of the few clubs in the division not to boast high-profile former County Championship or international stars, such as Henley's Mark Alleyne and Banbury's Paul Taylor, among their ranks.

Instead club stalwarts such as Barnes, David Barr and David Hartley were pitched in with youngsters such as Raheel Zaman and Ross Macadam as the Sonning Lane men attempted to compete on a much tighter budget.

But Barnes refused to put any financial matters at the heart of the reason for relegation.

He said: "A lot of people have said that we are at a disadvantage because we maybe haven't got the budget of some of the other clubs, but I don't think you can blame our position on that.

"Those clubs who pay a lot, pay it to just two or three players. But we have also got two or three players just as good as them, so in that respect the budget doesn't really make a lot of difference.

"What makes the difference is getting the basics right and practicing well - that's got nothing to do with how much you pay anybody."

It will be the young players who are likely to provide the backbone of next season's apromotion push.

And the captain believes that with the right balance, the Division Two West campaign could be an immediate success.

He added: "The situation the club finds itself in now, I think you need a good mixture of experienced and young players.

"But you have got to make sure that the young players coming through can compete once they get to first team level.

"There are certainly some good youngsters at the club, but they have got to show how desperate they are to play first team cricket."