SWINDON Civil Service have had a player banned for 18 league matches after he allegedly assaulted a Beanacre and Melksham opponent.

The Division One match, which was abandoned after the altercation on June 20, saw a 41-year-old man from the Swindon Civil Service team arrested on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm.

The Wiltshire League have now concluded their investigations into the incident and have banned the Civil Service player for 18 matches, four of which have been suspended, effectively banning them from all Saturday league cricket played under the jurisdiction of the ECB until June next year after finding him guilty of a level four offence.

The Beanacre player involved in the fracas has also had a ban imposed for his part in the build-up to the incident and has been suspended for four games after being found guilty of a level two offence, the league’s disciplinary panel agreeing to treat the offence as an isolated incident.

Meanwhile, the league have also deducted both teams 10 points after it was deemed that their actions effectively forfeited the fixture.

Division 1

Wootton Bassett edged to a one-wicket success over Urchfont in a low-scoring match at Rylands Ways.

The visitors were dismissed for 143 with Morlon Simon top scoring with 54.

However, Bassett skipper Darren Beasant, also scoring 54, led the hosts successful reply despite Urchfont’s Matt Brookes claiming 5-39.

Nationwide House bounced back from their 84-run loss to Box to defeat basement side Civil Service by seven runs.

Jon Clarke top scored for Nationwide with 40 as they closed on 170-8, while the hosts were dismissed with the penultimate ball for 163.

Division 2

Swindon United Churches returned to winning ways in emphatic style against Spye Park, triumphing by 210 runs.

After winning the toss and batting first, six Churches batsmen passed the 20-run mark as they racked up an imposing 262-7 from 45 overs.

Spye Park’s left-arm spinner John Beale (3-59 from 12 overs) caused problems for the hosts, however Jimmy Mann (62) and Chris Gilchrist (35) went on the counter-attack and Churches were soon back into a position of strength at 84-3 from 18 overs.

Matt Runkel (29) anchored the innings once Mann and Gilchrist had departed and this allowed Dean Tomlin (42), Martin Garstang (37*) and Ravi Dhayalan (23*) to press on the accelerator late in the innings.

Facing a stiff chase, Spye Park set about their work in careful fashion, with opening bowlers Richard Martin (3-21) and Chris Spackman bowling with menace and reducing the visitors to 34-4 from the opening 11 overs.

The introduction of Tomlin (4-9) down the hill ripped through the Spye Park middle order, as the Churches slip cordon clung on to every chance offered.

Leg-spinner Dhayalan mopped up the final two wickets as Spye Park were bowled out for 52 from 18 overs.