CORSHAM’S hopes of staying in Premier One were all but ended after their eight-wicket loss at Bristol on Saturday.

The two points gained from the defeat at Clevedon Road has left Ashur Morrison’s men 50 points adrift from safety with two matches remaining.

However, even if the Wiltshire outfit were able to draw level on points with third-from-bottom Downend, Morrison’s men would still be relegated as the Bristol-based side will have won one more match than the Station Road side.

On Saturday at Clevedon Road, Corsham were bowled out for 145 inside 29 overs with opener Steve Bullen top scoring with 39, while the remaining top four batsmen – Charley Reed (0), Morrison (6) and Remano Esau (5) – failed to get into double figures.

Vibhor Yadav (27) and Andy Davis (34) offered up some resistance but by then the damage had already been done.

Bristol then wasted little time in knocking off the runs, with the win sealed with the first ball of the 25th over.

Potterne, meanwhile, are in danger of following Corsham through the Premier One trap door after they suffered a six-wicket home loss to Frocester.

Batting first after losing the toss, Neil Clark’s side amassed 244-8 from 45 overs, with Wiltshire county skipper Ed Young leading the way with an unbeaten 90.

However, the Gloucestershire visitors got home in the 44th over with some solid batting which saw four of the top five surpass 25, with opener Ross Martin top-scoring with 82.

The defeat leaves Potterne second-from-bottom – five points adrift of Downend, 13 behind Frocester and another point further away from Bridgwater – with two matches to go.

The villagers could strike the final nail into Corsham’s top-flight coffin this weekend and boost their own survival hopes when they travel to Station Road for a Wiltshire derby.