CENTURY-MAKER Steve Bullen admits that his Wiltshire teammates were left shocked by the target they had to try and chase in their Unicorns Knockout Trophy quarter-final chase at Dorset.

The county headed to North Perrott on Sunday looking to book their place in the last four of the Minor Counties’ one-day cup.

However, with showers forecast for the day, the hosts had reached 168-4 from 34.2 overs when the heavens opened.

With the Wiltshire team guessing what they might have to chase down, Dorset had scored 70 from the seven overs prior to the rain, they never thought that the target would have been set at 221.

While Bullen, who helped Leeds University reach the Universities one-day final this week with a half-century in the win over Loughborough University, felt that the target was slightly high, he believed that Neil Shardlow’s side should have got over the line.

“We were all guessing what the Duckworth/Lewis target would be – I thought 210,” said the 23-year-old business student.

“I don’t know how Duckworth/Lewis works but we were all a bit surprised when were told what it actually.

“I know that they hit 70 off their last seven overs, but what that target suggests is that they would have gone on to score 300-plus.

“There's no excuses, though, we should have got over the line.”

Wiltshire made a fine start to this quarter-final clash as they had Dorset reeling at 35-3 from 8.3 overs thanks to Tahir Afridi (2-28) and Jake Roberts (1-27).

But the hosts recovered before teeing off in what turned out to be the final seven overs of their innings to reach 168-4.

“We have got three very good spinners in Ed Young, Joe King and Jake Lintott and they never got a chance to get going,” said Bullen, who will be playing for his university on Thursday in the T20 finals day in Leicestershire, before expecting to be part of Wiltshire’s championship side that hosts Cornwall at Corsham for three days starting on Sunday.

“They are all very different and when we are chopping and changing them around, it can make it very difficult for the opposition to settle.”

Despite losing two early wickets, Bullen and captain for the day Young (50) shared a 152-run third-wicket partnership in 22.3 overs, before Wiltshire closed on 217-5 after 34 overs, with the opener the last man out for 113 from 103 balls – hitting 13 fours and two sixes.

“We wanted to start positively, and I think we did that,” Bullen said. “It is just frustrating that we could not get over the line.”