WEEKENDERS GET STARTED

Chippenham 185 all out

WCC 153-7

Match drawn.

A delayed start to the season found the Weekenders in bouyant mood, cheered by the sight of the Tharp Arms open for business. After much hard work over the winter by our hosts at Chippenham CC, the pub has been saved for the village, and high quality IPA is once again being dispensed pre and post match. The new landlord has rehung the art on the walls and given the bar an uncompromising Manchester City FC vibe which has divided opinion. Curatorial issues aside though, there's no better watering hole in which to prepare for our summer campaign and to mull it over after it hasn't started quite as well as we'd hoped.

Apart from the initial overs from the lime tree end it was a far from poor start from the visitors. Dibley and Whitehead bowled exceptionally well and there were good spells from  Cooper and newcomer Thomas. But the real damage was done by Dunne and Lyons, two of the most gnarled wrecking balls you're likely to see on a piece of prime building land this side of the election. Lyons' direct-hit run out from third-man would have demolished a listed barn.

The batting had a mid-season confidence about it, with Husaini, McDonald and Cooper all striking the ball cleanly. The unfortunate run-out of Whitehead brought the chase to a halt and the usual tension surrounded the Weekenders' efforts to bat out the overs for an honourable draw.

Sadly the senior players were unable, and at times unwilling, to embrace the exciting technological advances of the modern game. See below.

Chippenham 185 (43.2 overs)

S Heather 43, E Waites 51, A Holmes 31.

Bowling:

Douglas 5-1-19-0, Dibley 7-0-38-2, Whitehead 9-1-40-0, Thomas 3-0-20-0,  Dunne 8-3-28-3, Lyons 7-1-24-2, Cooper 1.3-0-9-1.

Catches: 1 (off Lyons)

Run outs: 2 (one direct hit from Lyons, can't remember the other)

WCC 153-7 (40 overs)

Lee 5, McDonald 25, Husaini 24, Cooper 31, Dibley 0, Whitehead 16, Lyons 6, Dunne 14 not out, Douglas 4 not out.

DNB Thomas and d'Inverno.