Oxford took a wicket with the very first ball of their Division 1 match at Slough on Saturday.

But that proved to be their high point of the contest as they fell to a heavy 66-run defeat to stay bottom.

The visitors chose to field first, and it paid immediate dividends as Mark Beer dismissed Waqas Hussain for nought.

Beer struck again when bowling Osman Ilyas, but by then opener Nabil Shah was well on the way to a century.

Shah found valuable partners in Oxford MCC Universities batsman Lloyd Paternott and Shaan Khan – both of whom fell victim to Harvey Eltham.

Shah was eventually out for 104, made off 108 balls with two sixes and ten fours.

Late acceleration to Slough took 272-9. Will Rooney was Oxford’s most economical bowler conceding only 32 runs of his nine overs.

Brad Sutherland and Vishane Perera gave Oxford a solid start.

Perera was their top scorer but his 43 took him 97 balls.

The visitors increased the tempo, with Shami Mendis and Ian Crosby batting enterprisingly, before their last five wickets fell for 16 runs.

The main beneficiary was Naveed Akhtar, who claimed 6-33 in 8.2 overs as Oxford eventually succumbed for 206 in the 48th over.