As the hottest day of the year beckoned, Wilcot welcomed recently relegated Westbury 2nds to the Old School Ground for their fourth fixture of the season. Following last week’s impressive away win at Beckington, Wilcot were looking to build up some momentum and move away from the bottom of the table.
As the captains walked out to the middle, the Wilcot skipper could not help think that this was a great toss to win. With temperatures in the high twenties and a supreme batting surface in front of him, he was understandably delighted when his opposite number called incorrectly, winning his first toss of the season and opting to bat first.
As per usual, Mark Oliver and Tim Holme were asked to open the batting and made a steady start against a young bowling attack. As the teenage bowlers squabbled over who should be bowling down the hill, Mark and Tim began to accumulate as the flat deck and short-pitched bowling brought a steady flow of runs. By the first drinks break at 15, Wilcot were 76-0, but this brought a lapse in concentration as Mark was adjudged LBW to the pace of Rory White for 33. This brought resident Aussie, Doug, to the crease, and soon, another steady partnership was building as Tim brought up his second consecutive 50 with a couple of runs to deep cover. Doug was scoring freely as the boundaries continued to flow, however, the experienced spin of J Dark accounted for the baggy green as Doug was stumped for a promising 33 (152- 2) in the 29th over.
Having nursed his calf back to full health, Wilcot’s vicar walked out for his first league appearance of the season and provided ample support to Tim who was starting to approach three figures. Having made 87 against Purton last season, Tim was determined to record his first century for the club, and duly achieved his target with a superb lofted drive for six over extra cover. With no centuries scored over the entirety of last season, Wilcot’s batsmen are indeed following the trait of London buses! With plenty of overs remaining, it was somewhat of an anti-climax when Tim was finally bowled for 117 (242-3) with just under 7 overs left. This brought the skipper to the crease as Wilcot looked to accelerate in the final overs. The vicar soon fell for a well-made 45, which meant Ash Elliott joined the captain in the middle. With 41.1 overs bowled and the score at 267, the batsmen noted how Westbury had clearly run out of frontline bowlers. Ash in particular, began to cash in on some short and wayward bowling, dispatching the ball to all parts of the ground with a quick-fire 42* which could only have come off 10 balls. Even the captain was able to record something that was as rare as hen’s teeth – a six! – as Wilcot’s final pair put on 66 runs in the final 23 balls, meaning that WIlcot finished on an imposing Triple Nelson (333-4) after their allotted 45 overs.
As the players settled down for their match teas, both sides contemplated the bubbling clouds and distant rumble of thunder, as news came in from Ozzy Oliver at Marlborough College (5 miles NE) that all matches had been abandoned due to a torrential downpour. Luckily, the edge of the storm continued to skirt the ground as Wilcot’s players took to the field, with substantially more runs than the 277 they had failed to defend against Heytesbury.
As always, Ash and Billy were asked to open the bowling in hot/humid conditions. Despite their early accuracy, both Clare and White made a solid start and were quick on to anything short. The pitch remained flat and it was clear that any wayward bowling was likely to be punished. With the score on 54 in the 10th over, Billy struck the first blow, as a well-directed yorker made the first breakthrough. Ash was given a breather at the other end, allowing the introduction of Hugo Stagg. With the bowler settling into his rhythm, what can only be described as an unintentional short ball was guided directly to MFG at gully, who held on to a sharp catch (72-2). However, the new batsmen, Dark and Knott, continued to build on the good start, leaving Westbury well-set on 104-2 at the first drinks break. Poppy Oliver was brought on to find further breakthroughs at the canal end and almost had her man, only for the captain to ruin her (and Jimbo Lemon’s) day by putting down a chance at long-off. Further misfields followed as Westbury kept up with the req run rate, so Doug was brought on to stem the flow of runs. Taking the unusual step of bowling left arm around, Doug bowled a tight line and earned a well-deserved wicket, dismissing Knott for 21 (138 – 3 in the 20th). With the skipper, Keilo Shallow, now at the crease, Wilcot knew that the next wicket was crucial. However, Dark and Shallow were put down again in quick succession as the Heytesbury run chase once again began to creep into the Wilcot minds.
Despite this, Doug laboured on and made a crucial breakthrough in the 30th over, when the imposing Dark was clean bowled for 90, leaving Westbury 215-4 at drinks. Shallow was now key, so after experimenting with some Ninian Macgregor moon-balls, the skipper turned to Ash and Billy once again. With a more defensive field set, Shallow continued to hit out, but a big drive to long-on was brilliantly taken by Hugo Stagg’s sternum to give Ash his first wicket. Billy soon joined the party and had the young Edge caught and bowled, before the eldest of the White brothers was caught by the skipper at long-off to leave Westbury wobbling on 253-7.
As the required run rate started to climb, Wilcot saw the opportunity to put the game to bed as the tail showed little sign of wagging. Billy claimed a well-deserved third wicket to complete an excellent second spell, whilst Ninian’s first catch in possibly over a decade rewarded Hugo Stagg’s continued effort from the top end. Westbury’s last man walked out to the middle with a torn calf, but despite the all-or-nothing approach, the final wicket fell for 279 off the captain’s spin to conclude the game, as Wilcot won by 54 runs.
Whilst it was pleasing to win a second consecutive game, another strong batting performance (with Tim’s excellent 117) was not always backed up in the field. Despite this, the bowlers had to work hard in oppressive conditions, but the side will have to play well to maintain their winning streak as they travel away to Spye Park next week.
