GOATACRE skipper Ed Wilkins was chuffed to see his side grit their collective teeth and haul themselves back into the Premier Two Glos/Wilts title race at Warminster.

After posting 213-9, the Goats were struggling to break down their hosts but once their captain claimed the key wicket of Warminster’s Jack Berrisford, they went on to dismiss their opponents for 167 in little more than 45 overs.

With Lechlade and Cheltenham, who are first and second respectively, both losing on Saturday, Wilkins’ men are now just 13 points off top spot with four games to go, and the Goatacre skipper thinks his team are back in the hunt.

“We’d lost two on the trot going in to Saturday and when they were 120-2, we were in a tough position,” said skipper Wilkins.

“I tried seven different bowlers and in the end, it was myself that managed to make the breakthrough and then we had a good spell, which changed the game, really.

“Lechlade and Cheltenham both lost on the weekend and if you look at the games that Lechlade have left, they play us next weekend and they’ve still got to play Cheltenham and Rockhampton.

“It’s really tight in that top four and I don’t see any reason why we can’t win three or four more games and win the league.”

Rob Murphy (49) top-scored for Goatacre as Warminster’s Rory Cullinan took 4-33 and during the home side’s innings, after Berrisford had fallen for 54, Jif Wilkins (3-31) led the way with the ball as the visitors claimed victory.

Elsewhere, George Linde starred with bat and ball as Bideford dispatched leaders Lechlade by five wickets at Cuttle Lane.

The visitors batted first, with captain Freddie Martin hitting 58, but Linde’s figures of 4-21 restricted Lechlade to 182-9.

Biddestone lost their first two wickets for just 23 runs but South African Linde came in and cracked 81 off 68 balls, with skipper Andy Flynn weighing in with an unbeaten 40 as his side reached 183-5 late in the 38th over.

Chippenham suffered an agonising four-run loss at Rockhampton, the hosts reaching 184 before they were bowled out with the final ball of their innings, with Paul Bates taking 3-23.

But Brad Dawson's side fell short as they were restricted to 180-7, their skipper top-scoring with 42.

Burbage & Easton Royal lost by 26 runs at Gloucester City Winget, the home side posting 235-9 before Bevan Small's unbeaten 114 proved in vain for Burbage, who were dismissed for 209 in 46 overs.