County Cricket - reports in brief...

BCCC vs Wiltshire CCC 9th -11th August 2009 @ Finchampstead CC

Minor Counties Cricket Championship - Win for Berkshire see Scorecard

 
BERKSHIRE stormed to an emphatic first win of the season in the Minor Counties Championship.

Without a victory since winning the title last year, the Royal county crushed Wiltshire by an innings and 35 runs at Salisbury this week.

Team manager David Morris described it as a “tremendous team effort with some great performances from the batsmen and bowlers.”

The return of Chris Peploe made a major difference. The former Middlesex slow left armer, whose appearances for Berkshire this summer have been severely restricted, took four wickets in each of the Wiltshire innings to finish with impressive match figures of 8-66.

And that total was matched by seamer Richard Logan, who also took four wickets in both innings to finish with 8-94.

But the foundation stone for winning their last away fixture of the season had been laid in the opening two sessions on Sunday when opening batsmen David Barnes (75) and Danny Shilvock (70) put on 142 for the first wicket.

With Logan getting a whirlwind half-century off just 28 balls, James Morris weighing in with 42 and Jono McLean 30, Berkshire made 331-6 off 90 overs in their first innings.

And that was a total Wiltshire never looked capable of matching in two innings.

On their first visit to the crease, they were skittled out for just 60 in 37.1 overs. Only opener Steve Bullen (13) managed to reach double figures.

The home side’s next highest contribution came from 11 extras.

The Berks bowlers were virtually unplayable, with Peploe taking 4-5 in 55 deliveries on his return to the side, while Logan finished with 4-32 off 17.

And those same two bowlers also destroyed Wiltshire in their second innings, where they made a more respectable 236.

Peploe returned figures of 4-61 and Logan 4-62.

But it was a far more dogged batting performance from the home side second time around.

Michael Coles led the fight with a battling 106 off 190 deliveries. He hit a six and 10 fours.

No. 8 James Hibberd also held up Berkshire for a brief time yesterday morning, cracking 47 off 46 balls, but their last away game of the season was all over before lunchtime.

The 24 points lifted Berkshire off the foot of the Western Division with one game remaining. That is against Oxfordshire at Falkland’s Wash Common ground on August 23-25.

“If we win that, and other results go our way, we could finish around mid-table,” said David Morris.

“It goes without saying, we were all delighted to get the first championship win under our belts.

“It was a great team effort, with some excellent batting and bowling performances.

Berkshire 1st innings: 331-6 (90 overs; Barnes 79, Shilvock 70, Logan 50no, Morris 42, McLean 30; Hayward 3-117).

Wiltshire 1st innings: 60 (Peploe 4-5, Logan  4-32).

Wiltshire 2nd innings: 236 (Coles 106, Hibberd 47; Peploe  4-61, Logan 4-62).



Previous match reports - click required report below

Shropshire CCC 26th -28th July 2009 @ Finchampstead CC

Cheshire CCC 21st -22nd June 2009 @ Boughton Hall CC

Devon CCC 7th -9th June 2009 @ Falkland CC

Herefordshire CCC 31st May 2009 at Eastnor CC

Gloucestershire CCC 11th - 12th April 2009 @ Falkland CC

Middlesex CCC 14th April 2009 @ Falkland CC

Wiltshire CCC 19th April 2009 @ Thatcham Town CC

Devon CCC 10th May 2009 @ Henley CC