READING have reached the half-way stage of their Home Counties Premier League Division Two fixtures still looking for their first win of the season.

They lost by 52 runs to Datchet at Sonning Lane after an outstanding performance from Tom Lambert.

The Berkshire county club’s performance manager scored an unbeaten 54 in the visitors’ total of 167-8 off 58 overs and followed it up with 5-21 as Reading were bowled out for 115 in the 45th over.

Electing to field first on a green top, the hosts made a promising start with Abid Ul Wahab taking four wickets and Hamish Scott one to restrict Datchet to 75-5.

But opener Max Stevenson, the Berkshire 2nd XI captain, and Lambert improved their side’s position with a sixth-wicket stand of 46.

Stevenson was bowled by Qasim Ali for 57, which came from 148 balls, four of which he dispatched to the boundary rope.

Lambert was more aggressive on the Reading attack, needing 90 balls for his 54, which included five fours.

Ul Wahab finished with 4-56 off 16.5 overs, while Qasim Ali took 3-45 off 20 and Scott 1-25 off 9.1.

When they batted, Reading were soon in trouble with Lambert getting plenty of movement off the wicket.

The seamer secured a wicket maiden in his second, third and fourth overs and at the tea interval, he had outstanding figures of 11-5-16-5 after sending Reading tumbling from 23-1 to 39-6, the other wicket coming from a run-out.

Ul Wahab (37) and Reyhan-Ul Din (14) managed to lift the total to 71-7, while Waqas Ahmed smashed five boundaries in his 25 before Reading’s innings ended on a disappointing 115.

Lambert finished with 5-21 off 14 overs before Sam Finn cleaned up the innings with 3-9 off 22 deliveries.

Reading, who remain at the bottom of the table, are home again this coming Saturday when Buckingham Town are the visitors.

In the Thames Valley League, Vikramjit Sidhu scored an unbeaten century to help Reading 2nds earn a draw away to Burnham 3rds in Division 4a.

They had restricted the hosts to 214-9 in their 52 overs, largely due to a fine spell of bowling from Pritesh Benawra, who took 5-38 off 15 overs.

Three of the four top Reading batsmen were dismissed for ducks, but there was no dislodging Sidhu, who carried his bat for 105 in his side’s total of 183-8 in 48 overs.

The second highest contributor to the innings was extras which totalled 22.

Reading 3rds lost by 67 runs to Cove 3rds at Sonning Lane in Division 6b.

They could only manage 114 (Mahesh Gopalakrishnan 33, Chris Reynard 28, Abdul Waheed 16) as they replied to the visitors’ all-out total of 181 with Reynard taking 6-23 off 12 overs and Usman Ul-Haq 3-29).

Hayden Wood, aged 12, captured 5-60 in 15.1 overs, but could not prevent Reading 4ths from losing to Bagshot 3rds by five wickets in Division 8a.

Reading were dismissed for 121 (Davinder Singh 36, Zishan Hussain 25, Jack Wright 19) and the hosts reached their target in the 31st over.