An excellent all-round dis-play from Andrew Clough could not bring Oxford victory in their Division 2 West match at home to Cove on Saturday.

Clough, who joined Oxford from the Lancashire League at the start of the season, hammered a spectacular 97 and then took two wickets.

But the visitors, chasing 263 for victory, finished the day 20 runs short with two wickets in hand for a honourable draw. With leaders Gerrards Cross beating Reading, Oxford now find themselves trailing by 28 in second spot, in their bid to return to the top flight.

Choosing to bat first, Oxford made a brisk start with a run-a-ball opening stand of 54 between Clough and Vishane Perera, who had made 25 from 56 balls before being run out.

There followed a second-wicket stand of 95 between dominabt partner Clough and Stewart Laudat, who played second fiddle with 39 from 83 balls.

Clough, in sight of his century was third out at 179, having hit 97 from 111 balls before skying a catch off the bowling of Jahangir Zaman.

The platform had been set for a formidable total.

Cameo innings from Jamie Perkin, Tim Sutton and Ian Crosby maintained the momentum, before Crosby declared on 262-6 after 57 overs.

Despite losing an early wicket, Cove got off to a flier against Oxford’s ineffective opening attack.

Trent Keep and Najeeb Bashir Malik scored less freely against the spinners before Clough dismissed both of them in a brief six- over spell.

With Zaman being run out, Cove looked to be struggling at 183-5.

But Andrew Short kept Cove on the fringes of the chase before becoming one of three victims for the left-arm spin of Francois Vainker.

The Hampshire side did not shut up shop even at the fall of the eighth wicket, before both sides had to settle for the draw.