MALMESBURY opened their season in thrilling fashion as skipper Phil Cook hit the winning runs off the penultimate ball to secure a one-wicket win at Calne.

Tom Richards scored 70 as the home side were dismissed for 253, while Richard Gault and Ewen Kenny took three wickets each.

Openers George Royle (58) and James Gillespie got Malmesbury’s response off a strong start and although Tom Knott (3-45) kept them in check, the visitors scraped over the line on 254-9 with a ball to spare.

“Either side could have walked off thinking they deserved to win. It was a brilliant match and both teams had players that stepped up to the plate,” said Cook.

“It’s never easy chasing 250 but it was a decent wicket and a fast outfield and last year we chased over 300 to beat Great Bedwyn.

“James Gillespie and George Royle are fantastic players and they got us off to a great start and James Pearce-Smith did a great job in the middle order and hung around to see us home.

“It was always on a knife edge and could have gone either way but luckily we came out on the right end of it.”

Elsewhere, Marlborough suffered a five-wicket defeat away at Marshfield in a match affected by rain.

Zwelibanzi Homani hit 65 as Marlborough finished on 174-9, with Marshfield’s Matt Cox taking 3-27.

However, that target was reduced to 152 off 43 overs, one which the home side made light work of thanks to an unbeaten 62 from Dave Jenkins as they finished on 152-5. Marlborough’s Mohan Balusu took 3-26.

Great Bedwyn suffered a heavy 108-run defeat away at Westbury & District, for whom captain Alex Senneck hit 104 not out.

That was the backbone of Westbury’s 220-7 and Great Bedwyn never looked like threatening their target as they were skittled out for 112, despite opener Casey Grocke carrying his bat for 59. Westbury’s Richard Oakley (5-27) and Andy Carroll (3-20) impressed with the ball.

Devizes were beaten off the final ball when they went down by one wicket away at Trowbridge.

The visitors posted 169-7, boosted by Tom Grant’s 73, which looked like it might be enough, only for Trowbridge’s final pair to scrape them over the line on 173-9.