GOATACRE maintained their unbeaten start to life in Premier Two with a comprehensive 82-run victory over Chippenham at Hardenhuish Park.

Ed Kilbee top-scored with 48, while both Luke Edwards and debutant Christopher Watchman picked up three wickets to complete an impressive away victory.

The win leaves Goatacre second in the table, just a point behind leaders Keynsham, and captain Craig Gibbens was proud of the way his side performed.

“It was really was a great victory because it is always nice to win against your local rivals,” he said. “In the past Chippenham have beaten us pretty well, especially when we were relegated a few years ago, so to get one over on them was great.

“We are all really proud of the way we have started in this league, and now we just want to be able to keep that going.”

While Kilbee and Nick Pocock got Goatacre off to a superb start with an opening stand of 94, Gibbens was full of praise for Watchman.

“He bowls nice tight medium pace and he was probably our match winner in the end, and it was also an extra-special day for him because it was his birthday,” he said.

“His spell came at just the right time for us, as it allowed Luke Edwards to bowl some different stuff from that end, and between them they got six wickets which changed the game.

“He was run out for nought when we were batting, but we had him in the team for his bowling and he showed exactly why.”

The visitors won the toss and chose to bat, and made the best possible start as Wiltshire’s Kilbee and Pocock shared an opening stand of 94, before Pocock was caught for 29 off the bowling of Trevor Lloyd.

Lloyd struck again soon after to remove Kilbee for 48, and after Luke Edwards added 11 before being caught, Jack Haines accelerated the innings with a swift 46 off 52 balls.

Kevin Isles and Joe Tillyer were both removed by Uzi Qureshi for single figures, but wicket keeper Sam Parish got things going again with a run-a-ball 30 before eventually being trapped lbw by Bates.

Brad Dawson was out for five and Watchman and Gibbens both scored ducks, but Goatacre posted a target of 229.

The Chippenham reply did not start well as Tom Young was bowled by House for three and Gibbens removed Jack Humphrys, and it got worse as Qureshi was run out by Haines.

Billy Cookson and Lee Ward shared a partnership of 93, before Iles caught Cookson for 58 and Ward was caught behind off Edwards. The bowler struck again to remove both Bates and Lloyd cheaply before Watchman dismissed Tom Davies and Steve Merryweather to secure a superb victory.