CHIPPENHAM: A DEFIANT half-century from skipper Paul Bates was not enough to prevent Chippenham slipping to a fifth defeat in six matches.

Chasing 202 to win against lowly Lansdown, Chippenham collapsed to 149 all out in a game Bates last week described as a "must win". The result leaves Chippenham confined to the Premier Two relegation zone, while rivals Lansdown can breathe easy as they put some distance between the two sides.

"We are now officially in trouble," said Bates, as he pondered a seventh defeat of the season. "The only consolation is that last season we were in a similar situation and we managed to haul ourselves out of the bottom two.

"We need at least three more wins to give us some hope, then we will re-assess the situation." Bates watched in disbelief on Saturday as eight Chippenham batsmen failed to reach double figures.

Only Steve Silk (26) and tail-ender Philip Adams (12 not out) offered any support to Bates (50), who top-scored for the second week running. Mark Alban and Mike Tombs each claimed three wickets for Lansdown as Chippenham were dismissed after 45 overs.

Before tea, former captain Trevor Lloyd took five wickets for the Bristol Road side to restrict Lansdown to 201-9.

Seamer James Schofield (two for 44) made early inroads for the hosts before Michael Wiig (60) rebuilt the Lansdown innings. Ashley Book (34), Jeremy Dean (32) and Darren Barnes (23) offered valuable support. "It was disappointing to lose because I didn't think the Lansdown bowling attack was anything special," said Bates.

"Maybe next week we will go out there and try to be a bit more relaxed. I want to take the pressure off the boys," he said.