Malmesbury 158, Gloucester City Winget 159-2 (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Malmesbury 158, Gloucester City Winget 159-2

MALMESBURY captain Ed Shellard predicted better things despite his side slumping to another crushing defeat to a strong Gloucester City Winget side on Saturday.

Shellard said his side had now played all the top four sides and predicted mid-table security soon.

"We are now playing the bottom four teams around us so I am looking for three out of four wins," he said.

"If we don't or some of the games are rained off then I will be unhappy.

"We need to win six games to stay up so these next few are important."

Playing at home Shellard hoped his side would bat well after he criticised their performance last week.

James Pearce-Smith (40), Jeremy Newman (40) and Charlie Langton (30) all put in good knocks but became frustrated and gave their wickets away as their colleagues failed to step up their games.

Six of the seven other batsmen failed to get near to double figures before Gloucester tore apart their bowling attack.

Pearce-Smith and Newman's 75-run partnership had taken the score to 91-1 but after Newman departed the side slumped to 112-7.

A large score failed to materialise as the side were all out for 158, Richard Mosdell unbeaten on 15.

Gloucester lived up to their reputation as a strong batting side hitting the runs off 30.4 overs.

Only Richard Gaunt managed to take a wicket, thanks to a Newman catch, as Robin Stirling (49) and Richard Howell (83) put on an 86-run opening stand before Howell helped Will Steadman (25 not out) to within touching distance of the win.

Steadman then hit the winning run as Malmesbury fell to their fourth loss from five games.

Shellard said his side were 100 runs short of a realistic victory target.

"We need to bat and bowl better. We have a high quality pitch now so the bowlers have to get good line and length or they will be punished by good batsmen," he said. "But if we don't have enough runs then we put pressure on our bowlers to perform and we could do without that."

Malmesbury travel to Woodmancote this Saturday with the away side looking for their first victory.

"Unfortunately, as far as I am aware, I will be missing Richard Gaunt and Richard Mosdell," said Shellard

"Charlie Langton is also away so that leaves me down a few players.

"If I had 15 or 16 players I would drop them for a game.

"Not because they have been in bad form but because they are not playing every week."

Shellard added he is hopeful Mark Lester would return to good form soon after his first game this week since returning from Exeter University.

"He played this week but it was the first time he had picked up a bat this season,'' said the skipper.

He said he expects his side to make more of their batting opportunities. "People have got to start scoring more than 40 runs a time and in the next few games we will have to prove we can,'' he said.

"We don't have the batting the last 45 overs at the moment and that is the problem.

"You cannot afford to not have someone getting on with it but you need to stick in there as well."