Swindon bounced back from their defeat at Cinderford with a crushing 104-run victory over Malmesbury at the County Ground.

Swindon skipper Jon Baden won the toss and had no hesitation to bat first on a typically batsman-friendly surface.

Australian Darren Rourke and Will Nichols opened the batting, and it was Rourke who immediately began smashing Malmesbury's seamers to all parts.

The pair scored 69 in the opening 10 overs, with Rourke bringing up his half century off only 39 deliveries.

The introduction of spinners McNeill and Shellard to the attack immediately paid dividends, as Nichols was bowled by McNeil for 19.

Rourke followed in the next over, bowled by Shellard for 56, and when McNeil enticed John Baden into a false shot, Swindon had suddenly slumped to 86-3.

Matt Baker and Darren Beasant were now at the wicket, and the pair began to rebuild the innings. The Malmesbury spinners had a stranglehold on the scoring, particularly against Beasant, but at the other end Baker was soon finding his form.

With the score on 133-3 from 30 overs, Swindon needed to press on, and Baker began hitting the ball to all parts as he dominated the partnership.

The pair had put on 98, before Beasant was bowled by Eddington for 25, but Baker was joined by Paul Baden and these two put on an exhibition of big hitting in the closing overs.

Baker eventually reached a brilliant century off only 86 deliveries, before being stumped by Jepson, but Baden continued to smash the ball to the boundary and finished unbeaten on 44 off only 29 balls, as Swindon completed their innings on 263-5.

This was a tough target for Malmesbury, and their cause was made more difficult when Willoughby had Huist caught by Rourke for four, and with Nichols also bowling tightly, Malmesbury had reached only 24-1 off 10 overs.

Horton and Newman then began to play a few shots off the Swindon seamers, and Baden immediately turned to his spin attack of Stoddard and Zohaib.

The Malmesbury pair had accelerated the score to 80 off 20 overs, before Staff took a sharp chance behind the stumps to dismiss Horton off Zohaib.

McNeil was then needlessly run out for three, and when Stoddard trapped Pearce-Smith lbw without scoring, Malmesbury were in deep trouble at 97-4.

Only Newman was holding the visitors' innings together as he passed his half century, but the run rate required was now well over seven runs per over.

The Swindon spinners then accounted for Gould, Sparrow and 15-year-old Ward in quick succession to leave Malmesbury on 141-7.

The visitors chances diminished completed when Zohaib bowled Newman for an excellent 74.

Eddington was then stumped by Staff off Zohaib, and Rourke entered the attack to claim the last wicket, again well claimed by Staff, as Malmesbury finished all out for 153 in the 44th over.