IT MAY only be game five of the Premier Two season but Goatacre skipper Ed Wilkins thinks that his team are already facing a must-win game.

Following last weekend’s heavy defeat at Lechalde, Wilkins’ men have only picked up one win in their opening four games and the Goatacre captain thinks that it’s vital his team put points on the board next weekend when they travel to basement boys Shapwick & Polden.

“With the way that the leagues are going to be restructured at the end of the season, it looks like the team that finishes bottom will be relegated,” said Wilkins.

“We need to try and get away from that and I think we have to win this weekend against Shapwick.

“If we can get two wins ahead of them already, that will really help us.

“They’re bottom and they’ve lost all of their games so far. They came down last season and they’ve got a new name but hopefully we’ll be able to get a result against them.”

Goatacre suffered an afternoon to forget at home last weekend as they were put to the sword by last season’s Glos/Wilts Division champions.

Lechlade batted first after winning the toss and despite Giorgio Rigali taking openers Miles Hammond and Joe Breet for 36 runs but Freddie Martin came to the crease and hit 15 fours and five sixes on his way to an unbeaten 116 from 115 deliveries.

Paul Godding also found his range with a fine 94 from 82 balls as the visitors took complete control, with Brad Dial also chipping in with 28 as Lechlade posted 332-6.

Wilkins did his best to lead by example during the run-chase as he made it to 54 from 36 balls but the rest of the Goatacre line-up struggled, save for Rob Murphy, who hit an unbeaten 29.

Jack Haines (18), Chris Watchman (15) and Jif Wilkins (12) were all accounted for as the visiting bowlers found their rhythm.

Luke Sellers and Hammond both took three wickets apiece as the home side were skittled for 185 in just over 27 overs.

Goatacre captain Wilkins added: “We’ve got a small ground and 300 is about par for our place but almost 340 was too much. We just had too much to do.

“At the moment, we’re only getting half of things right. We can bowl or bat well for one half of an innings but we don’t get the other half right and it’s all about trying to put it all together at the moment.

“We also bowled 40 wides and that’s something that we really need to try and improve on - we’ve done it pretty much every game so far this season and it’s not helping us.”

Elsewhere, table-topping Potterne suffered their first defeat of the season as they were beaten by three wickets at Keynsham.

Sahan Wijerathne hit 68 for the visitors after they were put in to bat whilst Tom Cullen (49) also contributed, with the home side’s Rich Wilton taking three wickets as Potterne posted 215-6.

But Daniel Jarman (54) and James Williams (53*) both found their range to drive the home side to victory, with Jash Tashman-Jones chipping in (33) as they reached 219-7 with an over to go.