A CRICKET team comprising mostly of West Reading players have flown out to southern Spain to compete in the fourth annual festival being organised by Serious Cricket in La Manga.

And most of them will be hoping to repeat last year's success when they won the title under the name of Reading East.

They appear to face a tougher task this weekend as the number of entries have doubled to 10 teams and the format is being changed to the new 100 balls from Twenty20.

Their opponents include a strong Finchampstead squad who are looking to follow up the club's victory in 2016.

The festival, which runs from today (Thursday) until Saturday, is taking place at the luxurious La Manga Club European Cricket Performance Centre.

READING businessman and former Reading FC director Graham Denton has become the new shirt sponsor of Ascot United FC.

One of his companies, Darcliffe Homes, now have their name on the home strip with another, Country Estates, on their changed away kit.

Ascot have become the latest Berkshire club to install a 3G pitch, but their first home game at the Racecourse Ground last week proved a bit of a disaster, as they lost 3-0 to Guildford City in front of nearly 500 spectators. And that was followed by another defeat, 3-2, at hands of Camberley last Tuesday.

But on Friday they won 5-1 at SC Thamesmead in the FA Vase and on Tuesday they were joined in the second round by Binfield, 4-0 winners at Egham, where their new signing, former Highmoor Ibis defender Callum Gallimore, helped set up the first two goals.

READING FC, beaten 3-1 in last season's final by Slough, have received a bye in the first round of the Berks & Bucks Senior Cup, along with the holders, Milton Keynes Dons and Wycombe Wanderers.

The ties, to be played on or before November 17, are Ascot v Beaconsfield, Maidenhead United v Binfield, Thatcham v Hungerford, Marlow v Windsor, Aylesbury United v Aylesbury Vale Dynamos, Chalfont St Peter v Bracknell, Newport Pagnell v Chesham and Flackwell Heath v Didcot.