Wellington Cricket Club

(Although this match took place on the Bank Holiday Monday it was played as a Sunday XI game by mutual agreement between the two clubs.)

Wellington travelled to Devon Premier League side Exmouth last Monday and returned triumphant by 142 runs as a number of excellent performances were registered by the Red and Blacks.
Exmouth asked Wellington to bat first on winning the toss and the combination of hard, white track and hot, sunny conditions meant this was not a bad toss to have lost.
Exmouth’s opening attack of Tarry and Price were impressive and reduced Wellington to 32-2 in 8 overs before Rob Moysey and John Paine took charge of the situation.
They added 140 for the third wicket as Paine played the innings of his Wellington career as he smote three huge sixes on his way to 72. He timed the ball excellently and got full value for his shots as he used the excellently prepared outfield to propel the ball to all parts. He was eventually bowled by Cook who took 4-63 in 10 overs.
Moysey had played the anchor role for the time whilst Paine was dominating the Exmouth attack, but then he too took the home side on and marched on to a brilliant 69.
The rest of Wellington’s order shone as Kevin Crout, James Dyke and David Derrick all made useful late runs that took Wellington to 242 all out in 40 overs by tea.

Cook and his opening partner Grant started steadily against John Paine and Adrian Lee as Paine strove for pace and Lee maintained his naggingly accurate line just outside off-stump.
The run rate of over six per over saw that Exmouth needed to really ger away to a flyer if they were to have any chance of chasing down 243 to win, but the breakthrough would not come until Cook tried to lift Lee over the infield only to find Kevin Symons at mid-on where he steadied himself to take a good catch.
Paine then sent Cook’s off-stump cart wheeling back and Wellington knew they were in the ascendancy.
Paine and Lee gave way to Richard das Neves and Richard Short and they kept things tight and wickets came for this pairing as well.
Das Neves with 3-6 in 6 overs bowled the arm ball often and Exmouth’s batsmen never really got to grips with his bag of tricks as they played back when they should have been coming forward and swept on length rather than line.
One of the most pleasing aspects of the Wellington effort in the field was the performance of Richard Short who claimed 4-35 in 9 excellent overs. Having really worked hard on his length he passed the outside edge often and sent three of the Exmouth line-up packing with their stumps well and truly re-arranged. A sharp catch by Rob Moysey gave Short his fourth victim.
It was Moysey himself who ended the Exmouth resistance as Tarry hit the ball high into the air where Kevin Symons took a similar catch to the one that had started things off in the field for Wellington.
Wellington won by 142 runs and had put in a sterling performance all-round to ensure that the side’s unbeaten record in friendlies so far in 2005 was maintained.

The team and the accompanying travelling party made the journey in a coach supplied by Cook’s Coaches of Wellington and are indebted to Club Secretary Tony Rudd for organising and overseeing the logistical side of the day.