Henley 2nd XI produced a spirited performance away at Maidenhead & Bray on Saturday, with a much-changed side pushing the Division One hosts deep into the second innings before eventually going down by four wickets.

With regular captain Jack Biddulph unavailable, young Owen Bowles stepped up to captain the side, while availability issues across the club also saw Jon Denning lend his experience to the 2s despite normally being a first-team bowler and currently carrying an injury. There was also a significant milestone for 14-year-old Jethro Kock, who earned his 2nd XI league debut following a string of impressive performances for the 4s this season.

Maidenhead won the toss and elected to field, but Henley responded with a competitive 232 all out from 50.1 overs.

Toby Seward gave the innings some early momentum with a brisk 28 from 31 balls, including six boundaries, but Henley slipped to 75-3 as the home attack began to make inroads.

The key partnership came through Atharv Gupta and Denning. Gupta showed patience in compiling 31 from 67 balls, while Denning increasingly took the attack to Maidenhead. Despite his injury problems, Denning produced the standout innings of the day for Henley, striking 67 from just 58 deliveries, with eight fours and two sixes.

His counter-attacking innings gave Henley real impetus through the middle overs and, when Gupta departed, Denning continued to hold the innings together while others played around him.

Kock certainly did not look overawed on his first appearance at this level. The 14-year-old contributed an assured 20 from 38 balls, hitting three boundaries and helping Denning take the score beyond 150. It was an encouraging debut and further evidence of the benefit of the opportunities Henley's younger players have been receiving throughout the season.

When Denning eventually fell with the score approaching 200, captain Bowles took responsibility for ensuring Henley had something substantial to defend. He struck 29 from only 23 deliveries, including three fours, while Simon Wheeler added 11 before Henley closed on 232.

John Child was the chief destroyer for Maidenhead, taking six wickets as Henley were bowled out just into the 51st over.

Henley then made an excellent start with the ball. Wheeler removed Rory Fulton for five, Bowles taking the catch, before Matt Donovan dismissed Benjamin Donnellan. Donovan was particularly economical, returning an excellent 1-10 from six overs, while Tom Stewart's spell of 1-23 from eight overs, including three maidens, kept the pressure firmly on the home side.

Seward joined in by trapping Rayan Waheed lbw and Henley continued to chip away. Bowles then made his own contribution with the ball when Robert Viney, having made 20, was caught by Donovan.

At the other end, however, opener Amogh Amresh proved increasingly difficult to dislodge. He played the anchor role for Maidenhead and was joined by George Parsons, whose 43 gave the chase some much-needed momentum.

Stewart bowled Parsons to give Henley fresh hope, and the contest remained very much alive when Seward removed Najeeb Malik for 48, Denning taking the catch. Seward finished with an excellent 2-42 from 11.4 overs, but Amresh remained unmoved, eventually carrying his bat for 76.

With Alkesh Vaja contributing eight not out at the end, Maidenhead reached 233-6 from 47.4 overs, securing victory by four wickets.

Although Henley came away without the win, there were plenty of positives in a performance shaped by availability challenges. Denning's 67 provided the experience and quality in the batting order, Seward produced a strong all-round display, Donovan and Stewart bowled superbly, and Bowles acquitted himself well when asked to take on the captaincy.

Perhaps most encouragingly, Kock's debut at just 14 represented another important step in his development. After earning his opportunity through his performances in the 4th XI, he looked entirely at home at the higher level — another promising sign for Henley's growing group of young players.