MARLBOROUGH have seen a change in captain, the same week they got their title challenge up and running with a 139-run win at home to fellow title hopefuls Marshfield.

Tom Jacques has stood down with immediate effect as he is set to return home to Lancashire following work relocation, with Arran Dickinson taking his place.

On Saturday, Tom Palmer got the hosts off to the perfect start as his 84 off 143 set a solid foundation as they scored 222 for the loss of seven wickets, before Bradley Frost (4-22) helped his side skittle out Marshfield for 83 in just 27 overs.

Frost, Marlborough’s overseas all-rounder and coach, said after the game: “It was a great team performance by us today.

“The batsmen showed great resilience in difficult conditions and we built a good score around Tom’s (Palmer) gritty innings.

“I think the pace bowling unit then put the pressure on the Marshfield batsman to a great degree and we received the rewards for our efforts.

“All in all, I’m very pleased with the result and I think we got what we firmly deserved from the game.”

Marlborough got off to a solid start, with Palmer and Jacques at the crease and taking the score to 71 before Jacques was dismissed for 26.

Palmer and Dickinson then shared a 50-plus partnership, which saw Palmer secure his half-century.

Palmer then shared in another partnership of just short of 50 with Pete Day before being stumped for 84.

With the score on 179 and with only 5 overs left, Day and Frost then pushed down the accelerator quickly, adding 36 runs off 21 balls.

Marshfield never got to grips with the Marlborough attack and the hosts got the breakthrough when Callum Burnstone was trapped LBW by Frost for 0 in the second over.

Wickets then fell on a regular basis until Marshfield’s demise was complete in the 27th over with only 83 runs on the board.

Meanwhile, Calne fell to a 45-run defeat at the hands of Great Bedwyn as they were all out for 172 chasing 218.

Malmesbury also lost to Trowbridge as they were all out for only 90 runs before the visitors reached their total in just 14 overs with six wickets in hand. It was better news for Devizes as they secured a 56-run victory over Westbury.