WILTSHIRE coach Tom Morton hopes a confidence-boosting win against Wales in their latest Unicorns Championship Western Division fixture can inspire his men to a top-half finish.

Morton’s men reversed their form from earlier this season when successfully chasing down the 265 runs required to win in their second innings, which consequently launched Wiltshire into the top half of the table.

Opener Jack Haines hit a match-winning 86 to build a solid foundation for the visitors to build on before handy middle order knocks of 25 runs or more from Neil Clark, Ed Young, Tom Morton and Tahir Afridi guided Wiltshire to their first three-day win of the season.

With two more home games scheduled for the remainder of the campaign, Morton hopes using both this week’s win and the county’s home advantage can inspire a late run of form.

He said: “It was a really satisfying win for us, and we worked hard to get the result.

“Early on the wicket was lively and we bowled very well. For our first turn to bat it was a tad frustrating that we didn’t hold out a little longer as the wicket started the flatten out quickly.

“There’s no doubt the wicket offered something to the bowlers early on, and as the game went on that became less so.

“They had a lot of rain prior to the match, which left the pitch moist. It certainly wasn’t like any wickets we’ve been playing on in Wiltshire recently.”

"It’s been very much a year of development and learning for a youthful Wiltshire side, but Morton is now starting to reap the rewards from previous efforts to encourage youth development in the county.

With more game time comes more experience and that’s the philosophy Morton has adopted for Wiltshire this season – particularly in the three-day format.

“Jack Haines picked up a deserved man of the match for us,” said Morton.

“He helped create a great platform for the team when we were chasing the win in the second innings.

“A lot of younger players have featured this season and their form is starting to improve.

“It’s unlikely Berkshire will slip up at the top, but if we keep pushing and finish in a respectable position then I’ll be pleased.

“We can take confidence from the fact that our performances are improving.”