For the latest results and league table, click here.
Collingbourne’s 2018 Wiltshire league campaign kicked off on Saturday with a home game against Westbury & District CC 2nd XI, with the home side looking to quickly find their feet after last season’s relegation. Home skipper David Malley won the toss and decided to bat first on a good looking wicket with the sun shining. However, Westbury got off to a great start and claimed a wicket in the second over with just a couple of runs on the scoreboard. Malley and number 3 Andy Holman looked to steady the ship, and by the end of the 10th over the score had reached 50-1. The pair pushed on until the 21st over - at which point Holman was bowled off his pads for 40 and bring the partnership to an end on 86. Archie Scott joined his captain at the crease and Collingbourne reached the drinks break 94-2. Malley’s extended vigil finally ended in the 30th over after being caught at mid off for 39 (127-3), but Scott’s big hitting continued and he reached his 50 in the 38th over. Four quick wickets dented Collingbourne’s hopes of a big score, but they continued to push on and eventually passed the 200-mark in the final over - finishing on 209 for 7 with Scott 77 not out.
Westbury 2nds’ response began in a similar fashion to their host’s innings as they lost a wicket early on - Harry Browne bowling the opener Michael Tuck for 1 in the 4th over. This turned out to be the only breakthrough for Collingbourne until the 22nd over as Ben Whiting and Osmond Shallow built a partnership of 119 for Westbury - aided by a couple of dropped catches by the home side. Mark Brett eventually took the wicket of Whiting, bowling the opener for 88 (135-2). Two wickets in two overs checked the run chase temporarily with Brett (4-0-17-2) claiming his second scalp and then Browne (8-1-46-2) dismissing Shallow for 60 (170-4). Another couple of dropped catches proved costly for Collingbourne as the Westbury middle order moved through the gears, with the target reached with a six off the final ball of the 31st over.
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Collingbourne CC - 209-7 off 45.0 overs • Westbury & District CC 2nd XI - 213-4 off 31.0 overs
Westbury & District CC 2nd XI - Won by 6 wickets
5 May 2018
Collingbourne CC v Westbury & District CC 2nd XI
Wiltshire County Cricket League - Division 5 • The Rec, Collingbourne Ducis
Collingbourne claimed their first win of the league season at the third time of asking with a confident display at home to Goatacre 3rds. After losing the toss, Collingbourne were asked to field with the visiting batsmen eager to take advantage of what appeared to be a favourable pitch to score some runs. And the Goatacre openers made a steady start until Mark Brett bowled Amitabh Chakraborty for 22 with the score on 38 in the 8th over. Brett (8.4-2-43-2) struck again in the 14th over with his son Aaron Brett taking a sharp catch at square leg to remove Ferdie Van der Merwe for 24. Aaron Hitchmough kept up the pressure for the home side and took a wicket in his first over with the batsmen finding Collingbourne’s captain David Malley at mid-on (88-3). Then a partnership of 120 for the away side began to wrestle the initiative away from Collingbourne over the next 22 overs, with Toby and Adam Iles both looking comfortable at the crease. Both Ryan Proud (6-0-39-0) and Aaron Brett (9-2–41-0) bowled well, but were unable dislodge either batsman. It was only in the 40th over did Collingbourne finally make a breakthrough - the returning Archie Scott bowling Adam Iles for 45. Scott (9-2-22-2) struck again in his next over removing the new batsman’s middle stump and suppress Goatacre’s final push. Hitchmough (9-0-50-3) returned at the death and took two further wickets with the help of a couple of excellent catches in the field to leave the away side on 232-7 for their 45 overs, and the impressive but unfortunate Toby Iles stranded unbeaten on 95 after batting the entire 45 overs.
Collingbourne’s response began well with Malley joined at the crease bay Tom Gailey making his first league appearance for the club this year. The pair looked comfortable, dispatching the odd bad delivery, until the skipper fell in the 10th over for 17 runs (41-1). Andy Holman joined Gailey in the middle and they continued the charge - sharing a partnership of 70 runs over the next 16 overs until Holman’s mistimed shot was snaffled at mid-off. He departed for 29 which brought Scott to the crease. The run rate picked up once again, and with the boundaries beginning to flow, Gailey reached his 50 as the partnership flourished. Gailey eventually fell in the 41st over for an impressive - and tiring - 78, with the score on 207. Goatacre took another wicket in the following over via a run out, but Archie Scott hit his own 50 in the next over, and then the winning runs just a few balls later to secure Collingbourne’s first win of the season with nearly three overs to spare.
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Goatacre CC 3rds - 232-7 off 45.0 overs • Collingbourne CC - 233-4 off 42.1 overs.
Collingbourne won by 6 wickets.
19 May 2018
Collingbourne CC v Goatacre CC 3rds
Wiltshire County Cricket League - Division 5 • The Rec, Collingbourne Ducis
2 June 2018
Collingbourne CC v Royal Wootton Bassett 3rds
Wiltshire County Cricket League - Division 5 • The Rec, Collingbourne Ducis
Collingbourne CC looked to bounce back after last week’s defeat away at Biddestone with a home game against Royal Wootton Bassett 3rds at the Recreation Ground in Collingbourne Ducis. Losing the toss and being asked to bat first, the home side soon found themselves one wicket down as the visitors struck with Collingbourne’s score still in single figures. Archie Scott joined skipper David Malley in the middle and the pair cautiously began to build a partnership amid some accurate bowling. But as they reached the 50 partnership Scott was bowled by Wootton Bassett’s young Josh Penfold for 14 (54-2). Malley followed soon after for 17, and apart from Karl Gingell who hit a patient 27 and Chris Nunn who battled for his 17, no other Collingbourne batsmen managed to reach double figures. Penfold picked up more wickets as the home side’s innings fell away, and he ended with impressive figures of 5-25 from his 9 overs as Collingbourne finished on 132 all out.
With such a small target, an early wicket was essential if Collingbourne were to make life difficult for their visitors - and that’s just what happened - as the Wootton Bassett opener pulled straight to the fielder at square leg off the bowling of Barry Reed (1-41). Yasir Irshad and Harri Burdock then took control for the visitors, moving the score on quickly with some big hitting. The partnership was finally broken when Scott bowled Irshad for 40 (69-2). Three further wickets fell without a run being scored - two more wickets for Scott (3-34) including a catch off his own bowling - and a runout after some sharp work in the field by Sam Collins, giving the home side cause for optimism. However, Burdock (46*) was able to keep a calm head and the runs ticking over; and despite another wicket, this time for Aaron Hitchmough (1-25), Wootton Bassett were able to coast home with 4 wickets and 17 overs to spare.
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Collingbourne CC - 132 all out off 41.3 overs • Royal Wootton Bassett 3rds - 136-6 off 28.0 overs.
Royal Wootton Bassett 3rds won by 4 wickets.
Collingbourne slipped to their fourth loss on the bounce as they entertained Bathford CC’s 1st team at the Rec in Collingbourne Ducis at the weekend. Winning the toss, home skipper David Malley asked the visitors to bat first on what was an overcast afternoon - and the decision soon paid off as Bathford found themselves 8-2 in the 8th over with opening bowlers Archie Scott and Aaron Hitchmough (1-25) claiming a wicket each. The away side then built a steady partnership of 84 from 24 overs through captain Adam Brunton and number four Mike Bennett to bring themselves back into the match. Oliver Scott (1-21) playing his first game for Collingbourne this year - finally removed Bennett for 24, and six overs later James Phillips (1-31) had Brunton caught behind for 65 (117-4). Archie Scott (2-29) claimed one more wicket before Bathford began to push on and find the boundary rope with increasing frequency. They eventually finished on 174 for 5, with Martin Gurney hitting a quick-fire and unbeaten 34*.
The Collingbourne response started well. David Malley - alongside Barry Reed - kept the scoreboard ticking over with some quick singles and the occasional boundary. The partnership was broken in the 13th over however, when Bathfod’s Paul Merrett bowled Reed for 18 (39-1). He struck again in his next over - removing Malley this time for 21. This brought Collingbourne’s two leading run scorers this season to the crease, Andy Holman and Archie Scott. They too began to find the middle of the bat, and put on 40 runs before the rain came down and enforced an unscheduled break of 30 minutes. Back out in the middle and the pair took their partnership to 60 before Holman was bowled by Merrett (3-38). Two wickets in the space of three overs - including that of Scott for 33 - halted the home side’s progress as they slipped to 134-5 from 33 overs, still looking for 41 runs for victory. The introduction of slow bowler Jujhar Garcha for Bathford swung the game fully in their favour, as the young spinner began to make inroads into the Collingbourne tail. 141-7 turned into 151-8 and then 161-9 as the home side inched closer to the target - with Garcha claiming his 5-for after taking the ninth wicket. And with 8 balls left and requiring 8 runs to win, increasing desperation in the running from Collingbourne led to a run out and handed Bathford their first win of the season by just 7 runs.
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Bathford CC 1st - 174-5 off 45.0 overs. • Collingbourne CC - 167 all out off 43.4 overs
Bathford won by 7 runs.
18 June 2018
Collingbourne CC v Bathford CC 1st
Wiltshire County Cricket League - Division 5 • The Rec, Collingbourne Ducis
For the latest results and league table, click here.
Match Reports 2018