Wellington Cricket Club

Wellington won a local derby fixture for the third time out of four this winter season with this comprehensive 63 run win over Sampford Arundel B last Sunday afternoon.

Stuart Currall and Thom Trott gave Wellington another great start as they rattled up fifty odd by the five over stage and both were back in the hutch having reached the 25 run retirement mark.

Wellington’s cause was helped no end as Sampford Arundel B let 35 wides go. Chris Cherry was their best bowler with the excellent figures of 1-14 in 3 overs, one of which was a maiden as Wellington totalled 128-3 in 12 overs.

Sampford Arundel B were never allowed to get a march on the total as Thom Trott delivered a maiden first up and let only nine runs go in his other two overs. Adrian Lee weighed in with the wicket of Joe Smith in his first over and after five overs the score was 17-1 – testament to how well Wellington’s openers had bowled.

They gave way to Kevin Crout on indoor debut and Marc Holloway who continued the good work. Crout’s occasional left-arm spinners went for only eight runs in three overs as he got the right amounts of loop and flight together.
Holloway captured two wickets in his first over as he caught and bowled Seb Coe off the ceiling and Adrian Lee obliged with a good low effort to remove Bill Townsend for 15.

This was Wellington’s last joy on the wicket taking front as Barry Manley and Chris Cherry played out time and took their side to 65-3 in 12 overs to give Wellington a 63 run win and seventeen points to Sampford Arundel B’s two.

Indoor nets start this weekend, Sunday 20th Feb, at the Wellington School Princess Royal Sports Complex.

They will run every Sunday until 10th April (excluding the 13th and 20th March). Time is 3:30pm – 5pm There is a cost of £3.50 per week for the hire of the hall.

Everyones welcome, including juniors. Come along and get warmed up for the upcoming season!

If Wellington should have overcome Sampford Arundel A then they should definitely have beaten Failand and Portbury, but actually fell five runs short of victory.

Only Failand’s openers Batchelor (32) and Hudd (29) really got going for the team from Bristol. Kevin Symons bowled extremely well for 1-16 in 3 overs with a wicket maiden and Marc Holloway took 2-35 in his 3 overs.

A frantic last over saw Wellington have every chance to end the F&P innings, but the end did not come until the last ball when Holloway skittled the ball to the non-striker’s end and ran Hudd out. Crucial runs were let go and in the end they were telling come the end of the game.

Wellington were 42-2 in 5 overs with Rupert Green steadily building an innings and Marc Holloway too showing some nice glances and glides off the side walls. When this pair were going well together Wellington were back in the game, but Holloway was caught going for a maximum and it was hard for Kevin Symons and Adrian Lee to reach the rate required on their arrival at the crease.

Fear’s four wides off the last ball of the innings gave F&P a jitter as the re-delivery only had to go for six to give Wellington a win, but he made up for his earlier mistake with a dot ball and the Bristol based side had a 4 run win.

Wellington had their local rivals in a spot of bother at the half way point of their innings as both Thom Trott and Adrian Lee gave little away in their opening bursts. Dave Kittow raised one of the roof that Stuart Currall made excellent ground to get to and Lee had a reward for his efforts.

Pete Kittow took an age to make 21 before falling to a good back wall catch by Adrian Lee from the bowling of Marc Holloway, a new player who has joined Wellington from Bagborough for the 2005 season, and on the day he acquitted himself well with both bat and ball.

Neil Hendy and Laurence Burns registered 26 runs from the last over and 93-3 became 119-4 and this was the factor that, overall, tilted things towards Sampford Arundel A. Hendy’s 40no was a good knock.

Although Wellington lost only one wicket in 12 overs they were always behind the 10 runs per over they required. Sampford A were bowling tightly and with the flow of threes, the thing that keeps the scoreboard ticking over, having dried up the rate rose and rose.

That is not to say that Wellington did not have anything to shout about with the bat as Stuart Currall and Thom Trott made it to the retirement level of 25no and Mark Saunders lashed 23 in 6 balls in the last over, but the 120 required was above Wellington’s capacity. Laurence Burns and Francis Pyle were Sampford Arundel A’s best bowlers.