HOME side Box got home by just two runs in a tight finish against local rivals Beanacre & Melksham in their Division One battle last weekend.

Steve Hall’s 70 helped Box post 200-6 and Beanacre came up narrowly shy at 198 all out, despite 72 from Ben Brown.

Jonny Pegler took 3-19 for the home side and David Sanchez 3-45.

Wootton Bassett captain Darren Beasant believes there will be many more twists and turns in the race for promotion.

Bassett returned to the top on Saturday after their ten-wicket success over bottom-of-the-table Collingbourne delivered them 25 vital points.

That total was enough to dislodge table-toppers Malmesbury, who claimed 17 points from their 17-run success over Bradford on Avon.

AK Sharma’s miserly spell of 1-8 from nine overs set up Bassett well before spinner Ian Lancaster took 5-24 from 12 as the visitors were out for just 106 in 40 overs.

Jack Dymoke (54 not out) was promoted up the order and along with Sam Lawro (48 not out) who got the runs in just 17 overs.

“You don’t get any extra points for blasting them off in just nine overs,” Beasant said. “The aim was not to lose many wickets and that is why Jack went into open.

“Now we just have to keep on picking as many points up as we can because there are going to be some strange results.

“We reach the halfway stage this weekend and if we are still in the top two then maybe we can start to think about getting a promotion.”

Malmesbury’s win over Bradford on Avon came after James Gillespie’s 97 and 57 from Jack Ward had taken them to 254-6.

Bradford were closing in on the target thanks to 48 from Nick Gerrish and Matt Harrington’s 47, but Josh Langley’s 4-38 saw them fall short at 237-9.

Urchfont skipper Patrick Bromley was at a loss to explain his side snatching defeat from the jaws of victory at Swindon NALGO.

NALGO lost three early wickets but recovered to 193 all out off 42 overs.

Urchfont started well with David Bromley (31) and Cosmos Cupid (42) having an opening partnership of 73.

Toby Dorgan (52) and Ben Hodder (23) continued the good work and at 186-5 in the 39th over, Urchfont looked well set.

Instead, they capitulated to 192-9 at the end of 45 overs to lose by a run.

Bromley said: “Although we have dropped points on the leaders we are still in the top four and have Wootton Bassett at home next week and more than half the season still to go. We need to bounce back well next week.’’

Division 2

ALL Cannings broke their duck for the season with a six-wicket success over fellow strugglers Wroughton Wranglers.

Wroughton were dismissed for 159, Ben Webber (44) and Matt Hubbard (31) top scoring as Gareth Robb took 4-39 in 11 overs and Hug Saye 2-33.

Matt Tilley hit 56 as Cannings got home for the loss of four wickets, Steve Parker adding an unbeaten 39 and Richard Mansell 29.

Steve Copland blasted an unbeaten 140 to guide Lacock (264-3) to a seven-wicket triumph over Swindon A, who had posted 261-4.

Keevil surprised leaders Swindon United Churches with a five-wicket success, Churches having carded 216-7, with Chris Gilchrist hitting 82 in 65 balls.

Guy Perritt took 5-68 and then hit 42 in the winning reply, Robert Robinson’s 73 and 45 from Simon Tyler also proving decisive.

Division 3

BRAD Small (3-14) and Ollie Hares (2-19) helped Heytesbury & Sutton Veny dismiss Beehive (Southwick) for just 121, despite Mike Spong’s 32.

Justin Wagstaff hit 39 and Pidge Barnes an unbeaten 24 and Heytesbury got home for the loss of six wickets.

Sam Cope took 4-8 to help dismiss Beanacre & Melksham 2nd for 101 after his Corsham 3rd side had recorded 225-9, with Luke Curtis scoring 64. Chris Long took 4-50 for Beanacre.

Avebury’s 189-8 proved more than enough against Wanborough, Dean Roodt (42) and Greg Dix (39) leading the way with the bat.

Dominic Fry (3-14) and Sarvesh Bhargava (3-16) dismissed Wanborough for 89.

Pete Ellis smashed an unbeaten 125 to help keep Wootton Bassett 2nd top of the table at the expense of Biddestone 3rd (193-7).

Josh Hugo hit 78 not out in Seagry’s 204-7, which Potterne 3rd (143) were unable to overhaul despite 50 from Omar Manan.

Division 4

WILCOT’S Ash Elliott (2-47) and Mark Windsor (3-29) had hosts Blunsdon reeling at 44-5 before they recovered to post 174.

But Wilcot’s batting frailties were in evidence again as they crashed to 89 all out in 37.4 overs.

Rob Shillaker’s 59, an unbeaten 43 from Sam Mitchell and 39 not out from Lisa Pagett took Corsham 4th (182-3) past Malmesbury 2nd’s 178 all out in which Steve Jepson had scored 79.

Iain Bourne took 5-49, Iain Cowan 3010 and Nick Jephson scored 53 as Ramsbury (150-9) just overhauled Lambourn’s 149 all out in their top of the table clash.

Division 5

IAIN Hardy grabbed 7-42 for Cherhill in their clash with Trowbridge A, but it still wasn’t enough to hand his side victory.

Trowbridge reached 206-8, with Steve Neate scoring 46 and Chris Fardell 77 and Cherhill came up short on 198 all out, despite Chris Bogg’s 52 and 70 from Vaughan Andrews. Graham Booth took 5-44.

Sam Morshead’s unbeaten 51 guided White Horse (165-5) to a five-wicket success over Hinton Charterhouse 2nd (163-9).

Chris Hotchen took 5-13 in just 7.4 overs for Bradford on Avon 2nd, who restricted Spye Park 2nd to 97 all out. Graham Long hit an unbeaten 37 in Bradford’s ten-wicket triumph.

Leaders Goatacre 3rd had knocks of 56 not out from Kyle Barnes, Mark Atkinson’s 55 and 40 from Jon Haines to thank for their winning 291-8 against Warminster 3rd.

Graham Cuthbertson took 4-58 off 12 overs and Jack Conway 2-52 off 12.

Jordan Ashman scored 42 in Warminster’s 176 all out.

Division 6

WINSLEY 3rd’s Howard Fountain claimed four catches and a stumping before also shining with the bat in his side’s four-wicket success over leaders Lacock 2nd.

Lacock were bowled out for 171, Ben Edwards taking 3-28 and Adam Stansfield 2-27 before Fountain’s unbeaten 64 and 26 from Mike Wheeldon completed a first league defeat for Lacock.

David Kelly’s 92 could not prevent Box (196) from coming up just three runs short of Swindon NALGO 2nd’s 199.

Collingbourne 2nd claimed their second win of the season with a 72-run success over Biddestone 4th.

The bowling of Laura Smith kept Collingbourne to 42-2 early on before a third-wicket partnership of 133 in 21 overs from Will Atkinson (62), who scored his first league 50 and James Grant (74) got the innings back on track.

Collingbourne reached 255 all out from 44.2 overs and Biddestone’s reply started in similar fashion as Harry Wilde (3-39) kept them to 46-2 after 12 overs.

The hosts continued to pick up wickets and Biddestone finished on 183 all out in 42.2 overs. Chris Armitstead scored 59 and Nick Cranston 51 as Burbage & Easton Royal 3rd reached 176-9 against Potterne 4th, for whom Kieren Chivers took 3-32 and Cameron Garbutt 3-41.

Chivers hit 59 with the bat, but Craig Simmons’ 4-27 and 3-41 from Cranston saw them finish on 135 all out.

Rob Robson’s 67 formed the centrepiece of Heytesbury & Sutton Veny 2nd’s 216 all out against Marshfield 3rd, Julian Allard adding 34 and Andy Pierce taking 4-35.

Despite 74 from Andy Elliot, Sachin Rana took 4-28 and Simon Papworth 3-54 to end Marshfield’s innings five runs short on 211.

Division 7

KNOCKS of 68, 62 and 52 from Alan Griffin, Andy Starosolsky and Ryan Williams respectively took Goatacre 4th to 301-7 against struggling Westbury 3rd. Griffin then took 3-16 in the reply as, despite 72 from Jason Steele, Westbury finished on 175-4.

Ryan Allen smashed 162 not out in Highworth’s 286-7 against Calne 3rd, who were all out for 114 in reply.

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