Frape demands Stroud improvement

STROUD captain Paul Frape has demanded a vastly improved batting display as his side set out in search of revenge against Swindon tomorrow.

The Farmhill club return home after suffering a nine-wicket defeat at the County Ground last week.

A flimsy performance with the bat saw Stroud dismissed for 134 and Swindon cruised to their victory target with only one man out.

With Stroud teetering narrowly above the Glos/Wilts Division relegation zone following their promotion from the Gloucestershire Division last season, Frape knows they must put more value on their wickets if they are to avoid an immediate return to the lower level.

"It was an emphatic defeat last Saturday and there has to be an improvement," Frape said.

"We are hoping to bounce back and show we are a better side than we showed last week.

"We didn't turn up and we have not looked after our wickets, so there has to be an improvement in batting during the second half of the season."

In a bid to restore his confidence, the normally consistent Luke Bennyworth drops to the second XI after a series of batting failures.

Ed Mobbs is back after a holiday, but Rich Cox is ruled out due to work commitments, so Chris Dutton returns.

Adam Gibbs drops to the seconds, with Sam Cook stepping in behind the stumps allowing Ali Bell to move to the top of the order.

Frape said: "Ali has done with the gloves, but ideally he is a top order batsman, so we are going to give that a try.

"Sam has been a wicket keeper for years and he is looking to get back into the side after a couple of seasons away, so we will see how it goes with him in there.

"We need a reaction and Swindon might underestimate us after last week's match, but we are better than that."