High Wycombe racked up another win in their pursuit of the Home Counties Division One title after blowing away Tring Park on Saturday, with youngster Alex Morgan starring with the bat.

The hosts bowled their opponents out for just 115 runs and knocked it off after 34 overs to win by four wickets and move to within five points of Henley at the league summit.

Returning batsmen Morgan played a key role in knocking off the required runs, top scoring with 36 off 86 balls – a resolute display on a lively pitch.

The opener hit three fours in his knock, and Wycombe captain Nathan Hawkes praised his teammate, saying: “Alex has been at university so he’s been away for the majority of the season. He played in the first team last year, but because of university and exams his availability hasn’t been 100 per cent there this season. He came in on Saturday and played really well.”

The Wycombe opener’s innings was the highest of a low-scoring game, a day when 16 wickets fell for a combined total of 131. Despite the low scoring game, Hawkes dismissed the notion that the London Road pitch had favoured the bowlers.

“It was just a generally good wicket. We just bowled really well; we got a few quick ones upfront and bowled nice and tight,” he explained.

“The bowlers have bowled well in the last couple of weeks and that showed as we bowled Tring out for not many on Saturday.”

Two more scalps for Kyle Simmonds (2-16) makes him the league’s leading wicket taker, but he was overshadowed by the performances of teammates Adam Dobb and Paul Sawyer.

Spinner Dobb finished with figures of 3-19 off his 7.3 overs, including the final wicket to end Tring Park’s innings, while Sawyer dismantled the visitors’ top order, taking 3-33.

The former also performed well with the bat, scoring 19 runs to aid the run chase, earning praise from his captain: “He made the move back down [the order] a few weeks ago and he’s settled straight in.

“He took wickets, batted at three and got runs. It’s nice to have him in the side and performing.”

The win puts High Wycombe in a good position in the title race, sitting in third only 5 points behind leaders Henley.

On the title challenge, Hawkes said: “We’ve had a couple of slip ups but being right in the mix with six games to go is quite good. We’ve still got to play the top two teams as well.”

Hawkes will be hoping that his side don’t add to those slip ups tomorrow, as they face an in-form Reading side, who sit one place below Wycombe after a 72-run victory against Oxford in their last outing.

Hawkes said: “We played them early season and bowled them out for not many and chased it down, but they have won the last three on the bounce and are sitting fourth in the league so we are hitting them at their peak. It will be tough one for us on Saturday.”

This weekend also sees the two top sides, Henley and Banbury facing off in what could be a big game in the race for the Division One title, but the Wycombe skipper doesn’t believe it will be the season’s defining weekend.

“Hopefully we can get a win this weekend and skip above them. A nice draw would be perfect so that we could skip above both of them,” said Hawkes.

“Basically, it is a six-game shoot-out. Whoever wins the most games out of them will be the winners. There are only a handful of points between the top three, with us all still to play each other.”