LECHLADE won a low-scoring encounter at Chippenham on Saturday by five wickets as the riverside club returned to winning ways.

The win keeps the Manor Ground side in second place in the Glos/Wilts Division behind Rockhampton, who also won at the weekend.

Chippenham won the toss elected to bat first and Lechlade restricted them from the outset.

The hosts never got the run rate much above three-an-over from the outset of their innings with Lechlade’s bowling unit bowling very tightly.

Michael Craigs and Luke Sellers only conceded 20 runs between them in their opening spell of 10 overs. Asanka Vithanage and Will Nichols then replaced them and carried on in the same vein conceding just 37 runs in 13 overs with Lechlade restricting Chippenham to 67-2 at the midway drinks break.

The visitors’ economical bowling was aided by a well-disciplined fielding performance and with the scoreboard pressure building on the home side, Lechlade started to take wickets with Chippenham losing their last six wickets for just 38 runs to close on 163-9.

Only Lee Ward for Chippenham got to grips with the Lechlade bowling, scoring 58 before being clean bowled by Sellers.

Sellers ended with 3-25 to be the pick of the Lechlade bowlers with Vithanage collecting 2-36 and Paul Godding and Craigs a wicket a piece.

Lechlade started their reply well with their new opening partnership of Sam Burdock and Will Nichols getting off to a good steady start taking the score to 76 before Nichols was dismissed for 36 in the 12th over.

Lechlade, chasing a low total and run rate, then lost some careless wickets as they looked for the remaining runs.

Burdock for 21 then Joe Breet (18), Arran Dickinson (11) and Godding (0) before Brad Dial (47) saw the visitors home with 18 overs to spare.

Lechlade captain Joe Breet said: “I am really proud of the way the boys responded today following last week result.

“Their attitude and determination was first class.

“The bowlers were all on top of their game and we created pressure from the outset with our economic bowling and tight fielding.

“I would have liked to have knocked off the runs required without loss but it’s never easy chasing a low total without any pressure.”