A MAIDEN century from Patrick Castleden was the feature of Bucks’s drawn Unicorns Counties Championship Eastern Division match against Cambridgeshire at Chesham.

The former Cookham Dean batsman, who now plays at High Wycombe, scored an unbeaten 166 not out in Bucks’s mammoth second innings score of 357/2 declared as the match petered out into a draw.

Castleden, who slammed seven sixes and 16 fours in his stay of 238 balls, shared a second-wicket stand of 222 with Tring Park’s Shelvin Gumbs, whose 115 off just 109 balls with four sixes and 14 fours, was his his fourth Championship century for the county.

Following the loss of most of the first day after heavy overnight rain, Bucks made a disastrous start after being put into bat, collapsing to 32/5.

They were rescued by a sparkling 80 off 97 balls from Robin Pritchard, who now plays at Chesham. He received valuable support from Wycombe’s Cameron Parsons, who made 50 not out, batting at nine.

They helped Bucks make 201 from 63 overs in their first innings.
Cambridgeshire were indebted to an unbeaten 86 from James Williams, for recovering from 193/8 to 282/9 from their 90 overs.

Wycombe’s Jon Burden (4-93) and Chesham’s Matt Rance (3-52), captaining the side in the absence of Michael Payne, were the pick of the Bucks bowlers.

Trailing by 85 runs on first innings and with time short, Bucks decided to bat out the final day and did so brilliantly thanks to the magnificent efforts of Castleden and Gumbs with two great innings.