PURTON captain Elliott Hill expects the outcome of his side’s clash with Marlborough tomorrow “to shape both team’s seasons”.

Purton, fifth in the WEPL Wiltshire Division following promotion last term, have had an inconsistent campaign and, much like Marlborough, sit comfortable in midtable.

With promotion now an outside bet, Hill is keen for his team to generate some momentum going into the second half of the season.

He said: “I think both sides have been reasonably inconsistent throughout the year.

“They were beaten quite convincingly by Nationwide and then had a big win last weekend, and that’s similar to how our season has gone.

“Marlborough could make the top spots on Saturday into a foursome rather than a threesome and this is a game that could shape the rest of the season for both clubs.

“We need to build on a win, get some consistency and push ourselves and the teams above us.

When questioned whether he felt Purton had performed below expectations this year, Hill said: “I’d be interested to know what the expectation was.

“You always want to go out and win every game of cricket and if you do you’ll be top of the league.

“I don’t know what the rest of Wilts cricket was expecting from us this year. We’re probably a bit of an unknown quantity.”

There’s no Ed Holdaway and Adam Clatworthy for Purton this weekend, while Aaron Lee is also absent. Elijah Samuel returns to add weight to the batting line-up.