SOUTH Wilts out-gunned and out-manoeuvred the Army, winning their annual twenty20 challenge at Bemerton by a comfortable 38-run margin.

They breached the Army defences by scoring 90 off the initial ten overs – Australian Jake Winter cracking a six and eight fours in a 35-ball 56.

“Jake put his hands through the new ball on a used pitch on which it wasn’t really coming on,” said skipper James Hayward.

One-time South Wilts paceman Alex Senneck went wicketless for 28 off his four overs.

Tom Pearce (23) rotated the strike well.

Hayward (16) and Rob Franklin (17) kept the scoreboard ticking over, but the boundaries dried up against the spinners.

“Having been 90-1, we slowed to 139-7 from 20 overs. Not a bad total on a slow wicket, but the last ten overs saw us adjust slowly and not rotate the strike enough,” Hayward criticised.

Steve Warner, bowling quickly and aggressively, opened with Rob Pittman, and made it difficult for the Army to get off to a flyer as scoring shots were limited by tight lines and good fielding.

Warner (2-11) was influential and Pittman bowled a good containing spell, being rewarded with the scalp of South African Brannon Varley, the Army’s best player.

The Army finished 103-9 off their 20 overs, with SW generally superior in all ranks.