Melksham CC top of table after two convincing wins

Saturday 5th July: Melksham CC v Bradford-on-Avon CC  – Melksham won by 8 wickets 

Saturday 12th July: Swindon Nalgo CC v Melksham CC  – Melksham won by 9 wickets

Melksham CC 1ST XI were in fine fettle during the fortnight just gone, picking up two crushing wins against Bradford-on-Avon and Swindon Nalgo to leave them top of the WCCL Division 2 table with the business end of the season now approaching.    

Rain reduced the home clash with Bradford-on-Avon to a 30 over contest, the 1st innings of which saw Melksham restrict their opponents to 159-6, with opener Ethan Smith the pick of the bowlers with an incredibly tight spell of 2-9 off six overs.

The 2nd innings run chase proved little trouble for Melksham, with Smith also top scoring with an unbeaten 45. Runs also came from Lewie Simmons (39), Adam Mitchell (43) and Bhavarth Chaudhary (24*) as the home side romped home with eight wickets to spare.

The 1st XI then went one better during the following week’s trip to Swindon Nalgo. The 1st innings saw the bowlers demolish the Nalgo batting line up for just 60, thanks to rampant performances from Chaudhary (4-17) and Leigh Rogers (4-26).

Victory was then wrapped up inside nine overs, thanks in large part to a quick fire 40 not out from Mitchell, giving Melksham a slight lead at the top of the Division 2 table with seven games left to play.

The 2nd XI couldn’t quite replicate the 1st XI’s success over the previous fortnight, although they did begin with a much-needed win away to fellow Division 8 strugglers Allington 2s. With rain also a factor in this fixture, Melksham largely struggled with the bat during the 1st innings. However, a quickfire 32 not out from Andy Footner right at the tail-end of the innings did get them towards a competitive total 133-9 from 30 overs.

Footner’s contribution with the bat would in the end prove decisive, with a fine 2nd innings display with the ball spearheaded by Tom Watling (3-22) and Chris Long (2-8) restricting 116-9 off their 30 overs, allowing Melksham to walk away from the contest with a 17-run victory.

Unfortunately, the 2s were unable to back up their success during their next match at home to top-of-the-table Wanborough 2s. Although the 1st innings saw Melksham rack up an excellent total of 237-4, with Tom Wallis (55), Steve Day (46) and Josh Keatley (42*) all in amongst the runs, in the end this was to prove nowhere near enough. A potent 2nd innings display from Wanborough demonstrated exactly why they were league leaders coming into the fixture, with Melksham’s total in the end chased down with over seven overs and seven wickets to spare.

The 3rd XI found victory elusive during the recent fortnight. Despite good efforts during both their fixtures, they emerged from their clashes with Shrivenham 2s and Royal Wootton Bassett 4s empty handed.

The game at home to Shrivenham was lost during the 1st innings, with Shrivenham posting a monumental total of 297-6 off 36 overs. The 3s did show plenty of fight in the 2nd innings, finishing up with a respectable 213-6 thanks mostly to knock of 71 from the in-form Ian Doyle.

The following week’s trip to Bassett began with Melksham posting a score of 169 with the bat, with Doyle (46) once more in the runs, along with Dan Keal (31), Tony Reeves (26) and Jonny House (24). Unfortunately, this total was not enough, with Bassett chasing it down with three wickets to spare to condemn the 3s to back-to-back defeats.