WHEN Paul Draper announced his retirement from club cricket before the start of the season, no one really believed he would be sitting in a deckchair watching his budding son Ben play on a Saturday afternoon.

Sure enough, six weeks into the season, the SOS call came and Draper got his gear down out of the loft and slipped on his whites again.

Ball in hand, Draper showed he had lost none of his old touch and guile as he bowled South Wilts II to an easy win over Premier Division 3 rivals Trojans, who suffered a batting calamity as they collapsed from 64-0 to 135 all out at Stoneham Lane.

All was well as Ed Pope (48) and James Truscott (24) eased Trojans to 64-0, but the emergence of Draper senior changed the face of the game.

He returned 4-13 off his ten overs and Trojans folded.

When Trojans conceded 21 runs off their first over, South Wilts were in the box seat.

Young William Wade, with 48 not out, made his best SPL score and with Rob Pitman (25 not out) alongside, South Wilts eased to a comfortable seven-wicket win.