MELKSHAM Town were able to close the gap on second-placed Bradford Town this weekend as they claimed a 5-1 win over Clevedon Town while the Bobcats dropped points at home to Hengrove Athletic.

With the two Wiltshire sides both vying for the second promotion spot in the Toolstation League Premier Division, Kieran Baggs watched his side seize the opportunity to close in on Bradford, while their other promotion rivals, Willand Rovers, had their game postponed.

Melksham led 3-0 at the break before adding another two in the second half. Gary Higdon was in the goals yet again as he notched a hat-trick, while Francois Allen and Jake Brown also scored.

Danny Greaves will be disappointed his Bradford side were unable to take their chances as they settled for a 2-2 draw at home.

Hengrove held a slender 1-0 advantage at the interval, but Karim Rendall got the hosts back on terms before Hengrove got their noses in front for the second time.

Despite a plethora of chances to win the game, Mark Lenihan’s strike meant the home side had to share the spoils at Trowbridge Road.

In the First Division, Westbury United returned to winning ways with a 1-0 triumph over Ashton & Backwell United and are now a point away from league leaders Roman Glass St George.

Devizes Town were without a fixture this week, but return to action on Tuesday night where they host Keynsham Town.

Like Westbury, Chippenham Park also claimed a 1-0 win away from home. They saw off Welton Rovers thanks to Alex Pring’s goal.

Malmesbury United failed to register any points this weekend, they were beaten 3-0 by Almondsbury. Calne Town suffered a similar fate as they lost 4-1 at home to Cheddar.

In the Hellenic League, Royal Wootton Bassett drew 1-1 with Abingdon United. Substitute Dale Richards snatched a point for Sam Collier’s troops, after he scored late on.