ASIM Zaka hammered a century for Reading, but it still wasn’t enough to prevent them losing by three wickets at Tring Park, writes Dave Wright.

The Pakistan batsman, who has previously played premier division cricket in Cheshire and Staffordshire, only made his first-team debut last month.

He has a rather unorthodox style of batting – but as he showed on Saturday it can be effective.

Zaka hit 115 off 160 balls with two sixes and 14 fours.

He was a little lucky to get to three figures, as he was dropped three times, the first when he had made only 40.

And late in his innings he was also restricted by a pulled muscle in his leg which forced him to use the services of a runner, Firaz Amjad.

Earlier, opener Amjad had gone for five and Martin Andersson was bowled for two to leave the visitors 14-2 after they had been put into bat at the London Road ground.

Zaka was given some support by Phil Brennan with 29, Blue Coat School sixth former Sam Gemmill (21) and Amardeep Dosanjh (27) before eventually being run out in the final over with Reading being dismissed for 243, their highest total of the season so far.

Andersson got Reading off to a sensational start by bowling Aussie Ben Abbott with his first ball of the game and then having Charlie MacDonnell caught at slip by Jack Beaven with his fifth delivery to leave the hosts 6-2.

But Tring blasted their way out of trouble with a succession of boundaries and they had 50 on the board in less than nine overs, forcing skipper Bobby Malik to turn to spin earlier than he had planned.

He did slow the run rate, but was unable to apply the brake as Tring powered to their second win over Reading this season.

Saif Zaib smashed 60 off 61 balls and Shelvin Gumbs 40 off 40 against his former club before Michael Payne guided his side home with an unbeaten 91 off 124 balls.

Tring reached their target at 245-7 in the 52nd over to inflict Reading’s seventh defeat in 10 games.

Bowling honours went to Malik with 3-68 off 20 overs, while Andersson took 2-53 off 10 and Beaven 2-70 off 15.

Reading remain second from bottom of the Home Counties Premier League Division One table with 81 points, 17 fewer than the side immediately above them, Great & Little Tew, who are the visitors to Sonning Lane this Saturday (11am.).

Reading 2nds slumped to a 33-run defeat at the hands of Finchampstead 3rds and remain bottom of the Thames Valley League’s Division 3a.

The promotion-chasing visitors were bowled out for 196 in 51 overs with Rob Cassie and Anwar Whight each taking three wickets.

Paceman Cassie followed up with 33 runs while Chris Priddle made 60 in Reading’s all-out total of 163 in 45 overs.

In a remarkable Division 5b game, Reading 3rds crashed to a 61-run defeat at Bracknell in a low-scoring affair.

They did well to dismiss the Larges Lane club for 110 off 24 overs with 72 of those runs coming from just two batsmen – Tyron Winter (30) and No. 9 Shasika Pivithuru (42 not out).

Azeem Qayyum took 6-46, clean bowling four of his victims, while Shashank Narayanasamy claimed 3-58.

Chasing a low total, Reading opener Narayanasamy was the only batsman to reach double figures with 13 runs as the visitors were blasted out for a paltry 49 in just 19 overs with Mohammed Shabir (6-28) the chief destroyer.

On a day when all of the club’s four sides lost, Reading 4ths went down by 91 runs to Newbury 2nds in Division 8a.

Their attack was hammered to the tune of 268-4 in just 35 overs with openers Simon Digweed making 95 and Mike Beaumont 80. They also conceded 41 extras.

Reading lost two early wickets and were never in the hunt despite defiant knocks from Karl Sidhu with 67 and No. 9 Jack Wright with 53 not out, eventually all out for 177 in 46 overs.