First win for Melksham CC

A DECENT second week saw the 1s and 2s claim their first wins of the season, overcoming Great Bedwyn and Trowbridge 4s respectively.

Meanwhile the 3s were unable to build on last week’s winning start, falling narrowly short in their match away to Spye Park 2s.

1st XI beat Great Bedwyn by 21 runs

Skipper Adam Mitchell was the dominant force throughout the first inning’s during his side’s trip to Great Bedwyn, amassing an unbeaten 147 to help his side reach a total of 223/7 off 45. His innings included 18 fours and three sixes, with Russ Collins the only other batsman to produce a score of note with a knock of 26.

The second innings started superbly for Melksham, with opening bowlers Liam Merrett (2-35) and Rich Hemmings (3-53) coming fast out of the blocks to reduce Bedwyn to 50-5 inside 13 overs. The hosts however fought back well thanks to a hefty 117-run 6th wicket stand.

“Only once this partnership was broken did Melksham begin to reassert themselves in the match, with the skipper producing a second 3-wicket haul on the bounce. These wickets, along with one from Steve Rendell and a well taken run-out from Lewie Simmons, were enough to contain Bedwyn to 202 all out, allowing Melksham to get off the mark for the season at the second time of asking.

2ND XI beat Trowbridge by 20 runs. 

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The second XI also came out on top of what proved to be a similar game, scoring 200-7 against Trowbridge 4th XI before doing just enough to keep their opponents below the total to finally get their campaign up and running with a win.

It was by no means an easy start for the 2s, with the top-order batsmen finding it difficult to amass runs quickly against an impressive young Trowbridge bowling attack. Nonetheless the home-side were able to keep most of their wickets intact, reaching a total of 97-4, thanks to small but notable contributions from Ian Doyle (19), Tony Trotman (22) and Mark Mullis (26). The arrival of brothers Gary and Steve Burns would however change the complexion of the innings, with their aggressive knocks of 63 and 33 respectively helping to power Melksham onto a solid 1st innings total.

The two innings got off to a roaring start thanks to opening bowler Chris Long, who’s opening seven over spell of 3-12 put Melksham firmly on the front foot. Trowbridge dug in however, and during the middle part of the innings were able to gradually turn the match in their favour, thanks mostly to an impressive 72-run partnership from father-and-son pairing Jim and Solly Mortimer. With Trowbridge perhaps now looking favourites to creep over the line, it was Luke Wilkins who stepped up when Melksham needed a hero. He took three massive wickets to help snuff out Trowbridge’s momentum and allow the home-side come back into the ascendancy as the game reached its conclusion. Long then returned at the death to complete a five-wicket haul as the 2s claimed a vital opening win of the season in their quest to go one better than last year and gain promotion from division eight.

3rd XI lost to Spye Park 2s by 18 runs.

Unfortunately, the 3s were unable to make it a clean sweep for the club, with their trip to face Spye Park ending in a narrow defeat.

The 1st innings saw Melksham bowl Spye Park out for a total of 178. John Wiltshire was the star of the show with figures of 5-49, whilst Mustafa Nasiri also got in the action with 3-26. Youngster Joe Hare also made his mark by taking two catches.

The run-chase got off to a promising start, with opener Ross Holbrook making steady progress early in the innings along with a decent knock of 30 from Brad Wilkins. Sadly though, this momentum could not be sustained as Melksham got closer to the target. When Holbrook was dismissed shortly after reaching his fifty, it appeared to be a big ask for an inexperienced tail end, with Melksham in the end falling 18-runs short to make it a mixed start to life for the 3s in their inaugural season.