9:33am Monday 6th July 2009
Cricket: On Saturday, Collingbourne travelled to Biddestone 3rds to play their 10th Wilts league Division 3 game.
After defeat the week before Collingbourne were looking to return to winning ways and started well as Captain Owen Sheppard won the toss and elected to field first on an artificial wicket.
Opening bowlers Charlie Knight and Ollie Scott (2 for 50 from 10) made good use of the new ball accounting for the Biddestone top 4 by the 9th over with the score on 13.
Captain K.Mitchell and No.5 bat D.Kilmurray set about re-building the Biddestone innings but found it difficult against some very tight bowling from Tom Grant and Ian Kiy.
The Biddestone pair continued to hold out against the Collingbourne attack and once they reached 54 from 25 overs started to advance the run rate in an attempt to set a defendable score.
The introduction of Captain Sheppard (1 for 36 from 5) into the attack finally broke the partnership accounting for captain Mitchell (27) after he had helped take the score to 95 from 35 overs sharing an 83 run partnership with Kilmurray.
No. 7 bat B McElhinney continued his captains good work and advanced the score on hitting an aggressive 52 from 28 balls before he was bowled by Kiy (2 for 47 from 10).
Kilmurray was finally out caught suberbly by Geoff Rogers for 67 followed by an equally well taken catch by Tom Grant to dismiss the No.9 H.Entwistle (15).
This left Biddestone finishing their innings on 187 for 9 from their 45 overs scoring 133 runs in the last 20 overs.
Collingbournes young bowling attack bowled consistently and accurately giving away only 11 extras.
Charlie Knight (3 for 28 from 8) and Tom Grant (0 for 22 from 12) emerging the pick of the bowlers.
In comparison Collingbourne started tentatively and although they reached 47 in 10 overs they had lost 2 wickets getting there.
However Opener Tom Grant and no.4 bat Mark Bateman continued their good from with the bat and advanced the score at a blistering pace to 125 from 18 overs before Grant was finally bowled for 67.
Bateman continued in an aggressive manner ably supported by Captain Sheppard (15*) and the pair shared a 63 run partnership to see the game through for Collingbourne winning by 7 wickets in the 34th over.
Bateman finished with the games highest score of 83 not out.
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