SOUTH Wilts seconds have slumped to the foot of British Gas Southern League Division 2 – but chairman Trevor Pittman, father to skipper Rob, isn’t panicking – yet !

“We’ve been playing well below strength, with an unprecedented number of players unavailable and students still to come back from college and university,” he explained.

“Not having our overseas player Ian Holland in four of the five matches and then losing Eddie Abel with a dislocated finger has impacted greatly on the second team’s batting strength.

“Across the board, I’ve never known so many players having to work on Saturdays – it was five last weekend – but we’ve had to bite the bullet and get on with it.

“But The positive news is that we’ve got a handful of players coming back, so I’d like to think the situation will soon become a lot better.”

Totton & Eling’s Zimbabwean captain Mark Mbofana (3-16) took three wickets with the new ball to put South Wilts II firmly on the back foot at Bemerton.

They lurched to 57-5 before Rob Pittman (37) and Steve Kidd (28) came together to give some substance to an innings which ended at 114, with Keiran Geyle (4-25) ripping through the lower order. The last four South Wilts wickets fell for six runs.

Pittman (3-23) made two breakthroughs – both catches by James Wade – but James Taylor (38) and Oli Perrin (28) ended any faint hope of South Wilts defending their small total.