1s Suffer First Loss of the Season Against Strong Potterne Side

In what was no doubt going to be one of the toughest fixtures of the year, Swindon fell to a professional performance from Potterne.
Having won the toss, skipper Marc Williamson took the opportunity to bat first on a good looking wicket. Alongside Chris Aubrey, the two got off to a great start, with the score rattling along to 43 off the first 5 overs, before Aubrey was caught off the bowling of ex Swindon player Jake Goodwin.

Conor Taylor came to the crease and the pair continued to score at a good run rate. Both players looked extremely comfortable, before Taylor was controversially given out LBW to a ball he appeared to have hit. This left Swindon on 117-2 and brought Alex Kill to the crease.
Kill and Williamson continued to bat positively, before Kill tried to lift a ball deep down the ground, only to be caught on the boundary for 18. Williamson looked set for a big hundred, but unfortunately it was not to be, as he was bowled just 3 runs short on 97.

Father and son duo Adam and Liam Tucker looked to rebuild, however Liam was given out LBW for 4 on his first appearance of the year. Alex Bowles replaced him and helped take the score on to 208 before being bowled.

Tucker attempted to run a straight ball down to third man which resulted in him being bowled for 25, leaving Paresh Porobo and Paul Davies to finish the innings. Davies added another 15, while Porobo added 19 including a lovely 6 down the ground for Swindon to post a respectable 259-7 off their 40 overs.

In response, Potterne produced a fantastic opening partnership. All bowlers came and went, but all struggled to create a clear-cut chance against two fine batsman.

A 172 run partnership was finally broken by Taylor (5.4-38-1) when Goodwin was caught on the boundary for 85. We all wish Jake the best of luck for the upcoming season and hopefully see him fulfil the massive potential we all know he has.

The scoring rate from this point quickly increased, as ball after ball flew to the boundary. Adam Tucker (8-82-1) picked up a hard-fought consolation wicket, but with the score on 258 and 8 overs still remaining, the writing was already on the wall. Potterne finished 262-2 off 32.1 overs to seal the victory.

The guys fought hard during the second half, but unfortunately came up against a superior side. There are many positives that can be taken away, in particular how well everyone stuck together under duress. This humbling game is a good reminder for the team that we can always aim to be better and hopefully will only motivate us to work harder for the season ahead.

Marc Williamson – “ The game was a reminder that we still have a little way to go as a team, I was very happy with the team's attitude and the way we went about setting a score against quality opposition. On a good deck and small ground, their quality top order really showed, but again it was really great to see that the guys continued to give everything and didn't give up at any point.

There haven't been any big changes with the batting, the guys have been netting a great amount and it's really paying off out in the middle, it's also helped that we've been able to play on some really good decks early in the season.

I think the whole team will take something out of the game, it's an eye opener just to show where we want to get to. I think it will encourage the guys that we can score well against quality opposition and it was especially pleasing to see guys like Scott step up and perform at a level he's never played at before. I’m raring to go now for next weekend.