Nationwide House enjoyed their first taste of victory in 2012 with a five-run win against Wootton Bassett at Pipers Way.

With Nationwide’s first match of the new campaign, against Great Bedwyn, having been cancelled seven days previously, Joe Perkins’ team were keen to make their mark early on in the new Wiltshire Division campaign.

And, thanks to some determined batting and tidy bowling, they achieved just that - as visiting Wootton Bassett failed to chase down the 164 required for victory.

After all the recent rain, it was unsurprising perhaps that Bassett captain Stef Tyrie chose to bowl upon winning the toss.

Although much of the melancholy weather had dissipated, the moisture that remained was likely to assist his frontline attack.

However, Tyrie had not bargained for the Nationwide top four, who ground their way to 138-3 before a mid-order table rot set in.

Jon Clarke was surprisingly reserved in his 32 from 66 deliveries before he was caught by Mark Vincent off the bowling of Harvey Cummins while his opening partner, Nick Clarke, scored at an equally cautious rate.

Nick Clarke was the second to go, again caught by Vincent this time off Mohamed Shiraz, before a partnership of 39 between Luke Bradley-Leach and Stuart Archer saw Nationwide past 100.

Once former Bassett wicketkeeper Bradley-Leach was bowled by Tyrie and Archer by Dan Ellis, however, the hosts suddenly appeared fragile.

David Coates was castled by Cummins, Nathan Sheffield was run out and Akash Sharma cleaned up the tail to leave Nationwide with a solid but hardly imperious total of 163.

In reply, Bassett got over the early loss of Ali Wood as Cummins and Vincent added 37.

But once the pair departed, dismissed by Perkins and Andy Lewis respectively, Sam Lawro struggled for partners.

Kamlesh Shah and Chris Gregory failed to trouble the scorers as they both recorded ducks and when Tyrie was bowled by Chris Trewhalla, the visitors were 27 runs shy of their target.

Lawro tried to guide the tail through to a successful run chase, but he was the ninth man to fall for a battling 24 with the score on 152, and though Sharma and Ellis did their best, the last pair were unable to gather the necessary runs to hand Bassett victory.