PURTON have WEPL Wiltshire Division leaders Burbage & Easton Royal in their sights following their weekend demolition of Nationwide House.

Having been well off the pace in lower midtable at the end of June, Purton have put together a winning run that has seen captain Elliot Hill’s side jump up to second with four weeks of the campaign remaining.

They now sit just 15 points behind Burbage and Hill has even started to mention the possibility of a second promotion in as many seasons.

“In the last four or five weeks we’ve gone back into the mode that we were in last year when we won the title and even the year before, when we finished top before dropping down to second,” he told the Advertiser.

“We’re picking up big points and getting on a roll - we’ve got a lot of confidence in the side and in a league that’s quite inconsistent, if you can pull together four wins on the spin, you can rise quickly.

“We’re excited for the next four weeks - to see whether we can perhaps climb one more place and pip the favourites for the league.

“It’s always enjoyable to win games of cricket and when you win four or five on the spin it’s a good place to be.”

Having won the toss on Saturday, Hill elected to bowl and immediately reaped the rewards.

Akki Gomel claimed 4-12 with the ball, while there were two wickets apiece for Imran Ashraf and Tom Bowler, as Nationwide stuttered and stumbled to 78 all out, with Luke Bradley-Leach top scoring with a meagre 13.

In reply, Gomel was snared early by Mark Morris, but Elijah Samuel and Bowler had little problem knocking off the required runs, as Purton cantered to victory inside 11 overs.

Bowler, who hit a six and seven fours from 31 balls, ended with 44 not out, while Samuel was unbeaten on 18.

“Saturday morning’s weather wasn’t really for cricket - it was more for the otters and wildlife, but a lot of people did well to get the covers on which gave us a chance of playing if the rain stopped,” said Hill.

“Fortunately I won the toss and had a chance to bowl on a reasonably seamer-friendly deck.

“The bowlers put it in the right areas and Nationwide weren’t able to cope with that.

“Seventy-eight, even though it was a bowling day, was never going to be enough, and Elijah and Tom knocked it off with ease in eight or nine overs.”