SOUTH Wilts Under 15s bounced back from their cup and league setbacks to record two WYCL wins and a winning draw to put them clear at the top of the table.

Firstly they were held to a draw by plucky Purton. Charlie Smith (80) and Jack Stearman put on a brilliant 198 for the first wicket. Stearman went on to finish on a superb 119 not out as the hosts scored 224-4 off 35 overs.

Purton managed to hold out for a draw at 144-9 despite Freddie Phillips picking up 3-31 and 2-13 from Eddie Stagg. Sarosh Khan was the visiting hero with an unbeaten 51.

A trip to Corsham a few days later led to a comfortable seven-wicket win. The hosts totalled 144 all out off 39 overs. Dan Watts top scored for Corsham with 45 but 2-29 for skipper James Wade and wickets shared around put the visitors in control. Lewis Wakeford shot the tail out with 4-7.

An opening partnership of 91 removed any uncertainty. Charlie Smith 44, Jack Stearman 57 and Ben Huntley 30 all fell before the end but South Wilts cruised to a 7 wicket win with 7 overs to spare.

Next up South Wilts had to beat Chippenham and the weather to move clear at the top of the table. A 1pm start with heavy rain forecast for 3pm implied not much would be achieved from a long trip to the north of the county, However, Chippenham, who were in second place before the match, were shot out in just 24.5 overs.

An attacking philosophy from the home batsmen certainly helped the speed of the game but at 96-4 off 18 overs, the hosts were in the box seat. Josh Smith had hit a tidy 22 at the top of the order but the rest of the batsmen had swung hard with the ball disappearing to the boundary at all angles. Jayden Atkinson however wrapped up the innings in quick fashion taking 5-17 in just 4.5 overs as Chippenham succumbed for just 114.

With the clouds gathering ominously in the distance and tea not ready, the South Wilts batsmen were afforded the opportunity to go for a quick win and they raced to their target in just the 18th over. Jack Stearman continued his blistering form with a quickfire 83 not out. The speed of the reply proved crucial as within 20 minutes the heavens had opened.