Westbury fall to Corsham despite Alger brilliance

Westbury & District CC 1st XI suffered a disappointing four-wicket defeat at home to Corsham CC 2nd XI in the West of England Premier Cricket League Wiltshire Division on Saturday, 13th June, despite a superb 76 from Adam Alger.

Westbury cherished their return to home soil with the ground in outstanding condition after the previous week’s fixture away to Hinton Charterhouse was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to heavy rain.

After losing the toss and being asked to bat first, Westbury recovered from an early setback to post 192 all out in 48.5 overs. Opener Daniel Gill fell with only 13 on the board, but Kane Scott and Alger steadied the innings with a valuable partnership worth 37 runs.

The backbone of the Westbury innings came from Alger, who produced an excellent knock of 76 runs from 117 balls, including 10 fours. He shared an important stand with Javon Grosvenor who scored 47 as Westbury looked set to build a challenging total.

Grosvenor played positively, striking five boundaries in his 47 from 55 deliveries, helping the hosts reach 150 in the 41st over. However, regular wickets prevented Westbury from fully capitalising on their platform and the innings eventually closed on 192.

Corsham’s Teddy McCrum proved the key figure with the ball, claiming impressive figures of 5-46, while Jonathan Parker and Charlie Skiggs also chipped in with wickets.

In reply, Corsham made a shaky start when Theo Todhunter was trapped lbw by Richard Oakley first ball of the innings. Westbury were well on top when the Corsham score was 15 for the loss of four wickets. However, a 145-run partnership between Martin Roberts and James Sullivan then took control of the chase for Corsham.

Roberts compiled an outstanding 74 from 107 balls, striking 11 boundaries and anchoring the innings while James Sullivan provided the finishing touch for the visitors, remaining unbeaten on 65 from 93 balls as Corsham reached 193-6 in 41 overs to secure victory with nine overs to spare.

Oakley was once again Westbury’s most successful bowler with three wickets for just 20 runs from his 10 overs, while Grosvenor added two wickets for 13 runs from a tidy five-over spell.

The result leaves Westbury frustrated and ruing a missed opportunity to pick up the victory.

Report: Jon Wills

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