MARLBOROUGH cricket club missed out on promotion to WEPL Wiltshire on the final day of the Wiltshire Cricket League Division One season.

Third-placed Marlborough succumbed to a 65-run defeat at home to second placed Winsley CC in the final league game of the 2022 season which meant the visitors achieved promotion to WEPL at their expense.

The Savernake Forest team won the toss and elected to field. Winsley openers McKegg and Holton made a solid start before captain Holton was bowled by Edwards with the score on 66.

Kiwi overseas player McKegg forged useful partnerships with Norgrove and Garrod and was eventually caught off the bowling of Crichton for 80 with the score on 186.

That was one of three wickets for Crichton, along with Hetherton 8-0-30-3, as they helped restrict the visitors to 213 all out.

The ‘Trees’ suffered an early blow with the loss of Z Tunmore for two. Captain Painter and Day both departed in the twenties, and hopes then rested on Edwards and Richardson.

Once Richardson was dismissed by McKegg for 28 with the score on 127, the Trees’ hopes seemed to evaporate. A spirited 52 from Edwards was in vain as the tail collapsed with the Marlborough CC innings ending on 148 all out.

Despite their final game loss chairman J Tunmore was proud of the team’s achievement, a position the club did not expect to be in at the start of the season. In his first season as captain, Painter led by example scoring 570 runs - the sixth highest in the division, including a century at home to Malmesbury CC.

The feat of Marlborough bowler Donthi was equally as impressive. He ended up as the division’s leading wicket taker with 30 – including two five-wicket hauls against Swindon Nalgo CC.