Wilts and Glos Division One (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Wilts and Glos Division One

GOATACRE won the toss and batted first against Redmarley who were division 1 winners in 2003.

At 10 for 3 in the third over this looked a poor decision as Gee and Jif Wilkins both fell for first ball ducks and Rob Turner ran himself out going for an improbable second run.

Ed Wilkins and Pete Turner steadied the ship for a while but when Turner was caught behind for 17 and Kevin Iles went the same way for another duck, Goatacre were 35-5 and in deep trouble.

Wilkins went for 16, followed by Ferris, but Sam Parish with some fine shots in his 35 and the evergreen John Wilkins with 28 not out helped the last three wickets almost double the score, to at least give Goatacre a target to defend. Redmarley had bowled well, but this was a poor performance by the Goatacre batting.

Knowing they needed early wickets, Goatacre came out with all guns blazing and made a great start when Adam Iles, helped by a fine catch by Ferris, dismissed Watkins for 4.

Rob Turner had settled in well at the other end, but Hall and Hughes rode their luck and took the score into the 30s before a dramatic collapse saw Redmarley lose four wickets for 6 runs, three of them to Turner and the other to Rahn Heer, aided by three good catches from wicketkeeper Parish.

When Parish and Turner took their fourth victim, Redmarley had struggled to 60-6, but Gwilliams and Trouw applied themselves and added 35.

The introduction of the veteran Iles swung the game back in Goatacre's favour as he took 3 for 25 as the last four wickets fell for 21 to leave Goatacre winners by 27 runs.