WITH the Wiltshire Division table getting congested near the top, Purton captain Elliott Hill feels “four or five” teams will fancy their chances of finishing top of the pile as the season approaches its halfway stage.

Hill’s side comfortably dispatched of Nationwide House by 133 runs on Saturday to move into fourth place – despite losing their first two games of the 2014 campaign.

A century from Tom Bowler and Hill’s unbeaten 92 helped Purton reach 230-4 before Nationwide were dismissed for just 97, as Bowler followed up his ton with impressive figures of 6-23 in nine overs.

Hill said: “The way we won the game meant we gained on everyone above us on bonus points, so that’s pleasing.

“We’re back in amongst the teams who have won three and lost one, bonus points are key and that was the really pleasing part on Saturday.

“Personally, I think the league is wide open. We play Marshfield next week and Burbage play Bedwyn. If Burbage win, whoever wins out of us and Marshfield will be sat very tight at the top.

“There are probably four or five teams who are looking at the table at the moment and thinking they can win the league. It could be a very interesting second half to the season.”

Nationwide got off to the perfect start in dismissing talented Indian opener Akarshit Gomel with the first ball of the match but it was all downhill from there, as Hill and Bowler put the Pipers Way side’s attack to the sword.

“They got off to a decent start to be fair and got Akki with the first ball of the game,” said Hill. “That’s the first time I’ve seen that happen. Tom and I rebuilt the innings and he’s probably the form player in the league at the moment.

“We put on a total that would have been very hard to chase, especially at Nationwide with their outfield.

“Tom bowled really well again, he’s taken 19 wickets so far in four games and that’s pretty impressive.”