Melksham maintained their 100% record for the season with a 2-wicket triumph over Wanborough in what proved to be a tight contest which culminated in a tense finish.
Having won the toss and put the visitors into bat in what appeared to be difficult batting conditions, Melksham’s opening bowling duo of Andy Footner and Gary Ings were able to restrict Wanborough to just 15 runs of the first 12 overs.
Wanborough’s opening batsmen appeared to be in no hurry to push the scoring along, which despite the tight line and length of the bowlers, meant that the home team were left frustrated with the lack of wicket-taking opportunities. It was not until the 26th over, when George Penfield (43) lashed out at a loose ball from Daniel Carpenter and sent it straight into the grateful hands of Ings, that a wicket finally fell.
Wanborough went on to force more scoring opportunities during the last 20 overs, with the other opener Thompson finishing on 60 before being bowled in the penultimate over by the returning Ings (2-20 of 9 overs). A late flurry of wickets saw Freddie Honeybone and Joe Veacock pick up a wicket each, with Wanborough closing their innings with a score of 169-5.
Melksham’s response began somewhat shakily with the cheap dismissals of Carpenter (18) and Tom Wallis (2), leaving their side 44-2 after 17 overs. Veacock and Matt Hunt subsequently were able to put the pressure back on Wanborough, with the two batsmen looking well-placed to knuckle down and see Melksham to victory. That was until their dismissals (Hunt was caught on 35 whilst Veacock was bowled for 31) with a third of the innings still to go, and it suddenly left the match swinging in favour of the opposition.
This new-found momentum was then stifled by young debutant Ollie Darlington, who showed great solidity in his batting, whilst returning skipper Rich Hemmings was able to smash a quickfire 33 of just 23 balls before being stumped to set up a tense finish. Darlington was able to continue to keep up with the required rate, however the dismissals of Footner (5) and Sean Hooper (4) meant that Wanborough still felt confident of snatching a victory. Their hopes were further given further boost when Darlington (finishing on 21) was ran out in the 43rd over, with Melksham still needing 5 runs to win but with just 2 wickets in hand. However, the very next ball tail ender Ings was able to alley any fears his side may have had, hitting a six to see Melksham home with 2 overs to spare.
Melksham CC would like to thank club sponsor, Autotech, for their continued support.
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