QUICK-FIRE batsman Steve Perrin has taken 15 years to complete his latest century and he is determined to savour the occasion.

Perrin makes his 100th Minor Counties Championship appearance for Wiltshire on Sunday in a career that has also seen him reach the top in non-league football.

His ton-up comes against Wales Minor Counties who were also his opponents on his debut in 1989. The 33-year-old, from Melksham, made his Wiltshire bow as a teenage wicket keeper and football commitments aside he has been a regular ever since.

Perrin, who captained Wiltshire between 1997 and 2002, is still one of the most destructive batsmen at minor counties level and an expert slip fielder.

Speaking ahead of this weekend's match against Wales Minor Counties he said his love of Wiltshire cricket shows no sign of waning.

He said: "It's a nice feeling for me because I've done a lot for Wiltshire over the years and they have given to me as well. I love my sport and to play 100 championship matches is a big honour for me.

"If football hadn't got in the way I would've done it about three or four years ago.

"When you start you don't look at milestones, you just enjoy playing. I was quite fortunate when I was younger that I stayed relatively injury free."

Perrin joined Conference football side Forest Green Rovers in 1998, which meant he had to miss the start and end of his cricket season. At one stage he had the opportunity to sign for Exeter City, but a broken leg ended his chances of professional football.

He said: "A lot of people have said if I stuck at one sport I could've made it further. But the way I look at it is that I've killed two birds with one stone by playing both at the highest level of non-league sport and I've enjoyed doing it."

The Corsham player stopped keeping wicket for Wiltshire when he became captain, but stayed close to the bat all the same.

He said: "I felt I was possibly a bit too young to do the job, but they didn't really have anyone else. I think I've got quite sharp reactions so the slips was the natural step from being wicketkeeper."

Perrin, who begins pre-season training with Forest Green on Thursday, says playing football into May often affects his early form with the bat. But his Wiltshire cricket highs far outweigh the lows.

In May 2001 he made 190 against Herefordshire, which ranks as the third biggest score ever by a Wiltshire batsman. In 1993 he was in the Wiltshire side that took on Staffordshire in the Minor Counties Knockout Cup final at Lord's.

He said: "When I got the 190 it was just one of those days that everything came off, but I was a bit disappointed not to have made my double hundred.

"They put everybody on the boundary so I should've just pushed ones and twos, but I don't play that way and I was caught going for the big hit.

"The Lord's final was a memorable day. We lost the game, but the day itself was an amazing feeling, it was the first time Wiltshire had ever got to the final."

Perrin's Wiltshire team-mates Richard Bates and Neil Shardlow, who are both set to make their 50th championship appearances this summer, are the next most experienced players in the Wiltshire side. This gap in experience means Perrin is often asked for advice, but he says he is not ready to hang up his bat just yet.

He said: "As long as I still feel that I'm good enough to keep playing I will still like to do so."

Wiltshire match manager Brian White played 218 championship games for the county between 1963 and 1990. This is likely to be the Wiltshire record although the county's cricketing archives don't go back before World War Two.

White said: "In those days we were sometimes playing 10 matches a year. Nowadays it is six so it takes a bit longer to build them up.

"As captain for five years Steve did really well and brought some good players in. He is capable of destroying most attacks and is also still one of the best slip fielders outside first class county level."

Fit-again Russell Rowe should take over the captaincy from stand- in skipper Neil Shardlow this weekend.

Wiltshire are fourth in the Minor Counties Championship Western Division with one win and one draw so far. Wales have won both of their matches and are second.

Wiltshire squad: Russell Rowe (South Wilts, captain), Richard Bates (Chippenham), Richard Bedbrook (Beckenham), Chris Budd (Thornbury), Paul Clifford (Corsham), Richard Foley (Corsham), Michael Coles (Bridgwater), Kevin Nash (Bashley), Steve Perrin (Corsham), Baqar Rizvi (Spencer), Neil Shardlow (Corsham), Ollie Smith (South Wilts).