The weekend of the 4th July saw the Warminster Cricket Club 1st XI produce their most dominating performance of the season so far.
Warminster won the toss and elected to put the Corsham 2nd XI into bat and this decision quickly delivered the impact the team were looking for. All of the Warminster bowlers were excellent with both John Powell and Paul Braithwaite taking three wickets and coupled with excellent fielding, Corsham were bowled out for 95 runs in 36 overs.
The result was never in doubt and the Warminster opening batsmen quickly set about chasing down the target, reaching it in 19 overs without losing a wicket. Joe Breet top scored with 51 not out as the team won by ten wickets.
The Warminster 2nd XI also produced a resounding victory with a nine wicket win over a Swindon NALGO CC 2nd XI. Fielding first, the Warminster bowlers soon had the opposition batsmen in difficulty and continued to take wickets at regular intervals. Swindon NALGO were finally dismissed for 172 runs and whilst the wickets were shared around the Warminster bowlers, Cieran Woolhouse’s performance stood out, taking five wickets for 23 runs.
In reply, the Warminster batsmen settled into their task, recording the winning runs in the 32nd over, with Jude Cierpicki leading from the front and scoring 79 runs not out.
The Warminster 3rd XI narrowly lost to the DC United CC 1st XI by six runs. In an evenly balanced match, DC United batted first and scored 225 runs for the loss of nine wickets from their 45 overs. Pick of the Warminster bowlers was Alex MacDonald who took three wickets for 32 runs off his nine overs.
In response, the Warminster batsmen were positive in their approach and the game ebbed and flowed as boundaries were scored and wickets were lost. Ricky Corbin’s 51 runs helped drive Warminster’s run chase, but unfortunately, a nail-biting last few overs saw Warminster fall just short of their target.
On Saturday 11th July the Warminster 1st XI travelled to play a Hinton Charterhouse 1st XI. The Warminster bowlers performed well, taking wickets at regular intervals, but a stubborn last wicket stand of 56 runs helped the opposition reach a defendable total of 226 runs off their 50 overs. Bradley Small returned the best bowling figures, taking five wickets for 40 runs, whilst Jake Small took three wickets for 35 runs.
The Warminster response started brightly, but the batsmen found it difficult to build upon good starts and were finally bowled out for 181 runs, resulting in a 45-run loss.
The Warminster 2nd XI continued their unbeaten start to the season with a hard-fought win over the Royal Wootton Bassett 3rd XI. Batting first, Warminster cruised to 124 runs for the loss of only one wicket, but then proceeded to collapse, losing their last nine wickets for only 22 runs.
Even though Jude Cierpicki scored 60 runs and Freddie Evans made 57 runs, a total of 146 runs didn’t look a large enough total to defend.
In response the opposition struggled but edged towards their target. However, with the opposition only requiring 34 runs to win, Charlie Loudoun returned to the bowling attack and took a hat-trick in removing the last three batsmen and ensured another memorable win.
The 3rd XI lost their match to the Calne CC 2nd XI by seven wickets. Warminster won the toss and elected to bat first, totalling 168 runs for the loss of seven wickets from their 45 overs. Graham Cuthbertson top scored, making 70 runs and recording his third 50 of the season.
In response, Calne lost a couple of quick wickets, but then proceeded to comfortably chase down the total in the 31st over for the victory.
Pictured: Cieran Woodhouse taking five wickets for the Warminster 2nd XI
Report by Russell Collier
