Wiltshire lost their opening friendly of the season when they went down to a 31 run defeat against Berkshire in their annual Marlborough Cup match. Berkshire scored 214 for six in their 50 overs, with Wiltshire newcomer Michael Coles taking four for 37 and James Hibberd two for 41. Wiltshire made a good start in their reply, with Kevin Blackburn (53) and Chris Budd (28) putting on 57 for the first wicket, but former England spinner Richard Illingworth (43) was the only player to make any impression as Wiltshire were bowled out for 183.