Oxfordshire's opening Minor Counties Championship game of the season ended in a disappointing ten-wicket defeat by Berkshire at Falkland on Tuesday.

Keith Arnold's men conceded a first-innings lead of 133 runs in the morning session, before being tumbled out for 136 in the afternoon.

Rain had briefly threatened to ruin Berkshire's hopes of victory when the players were forced off the field with Oxon eight wickets down in their second innings.

But the weather relented to allow the home side to mop up Oxon's tail, before taking just four deliveries to get the required runs.

"It was a disappointing start," said skipper Arnold.

"Losing three seamers - Stewart Laudat, Richard Lynch and Philip Evans - in the week before the game did not help.

"And it then didn't help that we lost the toss and had to bat on a wet wicket.

"But these things are just excuses. We didn't have the attack for a seamer-friendly wicket, but the three spinners then bowled poorly by their own admission, although they did improve on the last day."

Instead, Arnold felt that a lack of application from the batsman was the main factor in Oxon's defeat.

"If you lose the toss in circumstances like we did, then you have to accept it is going to be tough, and you grind it out.

"The pitch may have been tricky and they bowled well, but there was no way we should have been bowled out for 147 in the first innings. We got out to poor shots.

"If we had managed to get to 220-odd, then it would have put a very different complexion on the game."

See separate story for scorecard