SWINDON Cricket Club has qualified for finals day at Lord’s in the ECB National Indoor Knockout Cup.

Having already beaten their county rivals, as well as Somerset champions North Petherton, Swindon took on the Isle of Wight’s Ryde at Somerset CCC’s Indoor Cricket School on Saturday for a place in the competition’s quarter-final.

Six of the County Ground outfit’s best indoor players were asked to bat first in a new hall, and they got off to a flying start as openers Aubrey and Kill found the gaps, despite the new ball swinging prodigiously for the Ryde bowlers.

Despite this, it was near one way traffic as the Swindon batters adapted well to the hall and swinging ball, picking the gaps and regularly hitting the back wall for four runs.

Alex Kill, Conor Taylor and Liam Tucker all retired on 25 as Swindon ended on 139-4.

The chase didn’t start well for Ryde, who found themselves 0-2 off the first over as Conor Taylor bowled sharply to create two wickets via catches.

Ryde batsmen Oatley (24) and Goldsmith (27*) steadied the ship, but with the Swindon bowlers using the swinging ball well, the Isle of Wight men found themselves quickly behind the required rate.

Swindon continued to squeeze the run rate upwards and eventually ran out winners by 76 runs.

The County Ground side then faced Cheltenham Civil Service in the afternoon for a place at finals day.

Batting first, Swindon took a couple of overs to get going, but then the scoring rate skyrocketed as Aubrey, Kill, Taylor and Liam Tucker all retired on reaching 25.

Adam Tucker and Marc Williamson kept accelerating the score and the Wiltshire boys finished on an impressive 156-1 as Aubrey top scored with 44 not out.

The clinical display continued with the ball as Taylor was rewarded with a first-over wicket.

In the following overs, Cheltenham CS were scoring runs, but the scale of the chase meant they had to take risks.

This led to two run outs and a wicket for Killer and a five-over score of 47-4.

Liam Tucker came onto bowl and, after a catch and one further run out, Swindon had secured a comfortable victory and a day out at Lord's.

Swindon will play Bromsgrove CC in the semi-final on March 29 with the final played later in the day.