ROYAL Wootton Bassett made it four wins from four at the start of the Division One season with an emphatic 10-wicket rout of bottom side Beanacre & Melksham.

Bassett are now 18 points clear at the head of the table and skipper Darren Beasant admits he could not have asked for more at the start of the season.

“We felt we had a difficult start to the year with the fixtures we had, so we are delighted with how the first four weeks have gone.” said Beasant.

“Sometimes you win games you maybe don’t deserve to but we have played some excellent cricket right the way through.”

On winning the toss, Bassett inserted the hosts and were soon in control as the opening bowlers gave the batsmen nothing to score off and wickets fell at regular intervals.

Beanacre’s 105 all out off 42 overs was solely down to the disciplined bowling of all the Bassett attack, led by Asanka Vithange’s haul of 4-24 When the home side took to the field, they knew they knew they faced an uphill task, although had they held on to a couple of half-chances, the story may have been different.

Prolific openers Sam Lawro (46*) & Jack Twine (48*) looked untroubled throughout and saw Bassett to their target inside 21 overs.

“Asanka didn’t come on until maybe the 37th over when they were 60-6 but was standing next to me at slip saying ‘I should be on now skipper’,” added Beasant.

“With the way he bowls, it’s clear he has played at a higher level but the guys up front, Neil Joseph and Dan Ellis, did a great job as well and sometimes don’t get the wickets they deserve.

“In this league, you don’t get incentives for winning quickly. You get incentives for not losing wickets.

“When you don’t have a big total to chase, you have to go out and work hard and be positive.

“Sam gets a lot of the plaudits because he scores a lot of runs but Jack did really, really well and I think finished just two runs short of his maiden first XI 50.”

Nationwide House remain on one victory so far this term after slipping to a 40-run defeat at home to Lacock.

An impressive haul of 3-26 from Joe Perkins helped restrict Lacock to 192-9 in their innings, for which Adam Mitchell’s 48 was the backbone.

Nationwide never got going in reply as although Nick Clarke provided stubborn resistance for his 46 - the home side were only on 152-9 once their 45 overs came to a close.

Division 2

MIKE Evans thumped 81 and claimed three wickets to help Wroughton Wranglers to a 38-run victory over Heytesbury & Sutton Veny.

Mark McMeeking also chipped in with 49 as Wranglers posted 208-7, which could have been a lot higher had it not been for R Barnes’ 5-38.

Barnes also hit a half-century in Heytesbury’s reply but Evans’ 3-32 helped skittle them all out for 170.

Swindon NALGO were thrashed by 102 runs when they entertained Avebury despite Kapildev Kesavan claiming a magnificent seven wickets.

Kesavan’s remarkable haul of 7-51 helped restrict Avebury to 160 all out, with Wes Hartslief top scoring on 68.

However, NALGO were lifeless in response as only Ahmad Faraz (25) came off with any credit as they were skittled for 58 in the 23rd over thanks to the efforts of Hartslief (4-25) and Dominic Fry (3-13).

Division 4

LEADERS White Horse saw their clash away at Goatacre 3rd called off after captain Ian Sharpe took a blow to the head and had to be treated at the ground by paramedics.

Before the incident, Sharpe had produced some inspired bowling and his 4-36 had helped leave the Goats in trouble on 86-4.