Wellington won for the first time at Ilton since 2000 when they won in the last over for the second time in three weeks as the Red and Blacks held their nerve and achieved their first maximum of the season.
Ilton opted to bat first on winning the toss and started in a manner that gave Wellington cause for concern as Williams and Hunt lashed 41 in 11 overs. Williams hit the ball hard and it stayed hit and he looked set when he looped one up to Julian Smit at mid-off and Thom Trott had made the breakthrough.
Ilton skipper Lee arrived at the crease and faced five balls from Paul Short – back from University – before charging him on the sixth and he was found wanting as he essayed a grotesque heave and was out of his ground and was palpably stumped for a duck.
Julian Smit (3-40) joined the attack and removed Hunt for 18, he made the Ilton score 67-4 when he bowled Spurway all ends up and Ilton were sinking fast.
Oliver with 41 played a fine innings and he was Ilton’s best way out of a tight corner, but he departed to a fine rising catch by Rob Moysey off of the bowling of Gary Tillett who bowled delightfully to take 4-30 in one ball short of seven overs.
He used good flight and variation to trap his victims, the best one been when he got one to dip under Mason’s bat and bowl him.
A top edge to short fine-leg was accepted by Thom Trott and last man Hutchins was plumb in front as Wellington disposed of the Ilton innings in only 37.5 overs – not batting for 7.1 overs of their innings was going to cost the home side very dear in the final analysis of the match.

As Ilton’s innings had been completed early tea was not ready and Wellington prepared themselves to face some half a dozen overs before the natural break was forthcoming, but the umpires had set themselves a cut off time of 4.45pm and with spin been bowled at both ends early twelve overs were actually delivered and as Wellington were looking at wicket preservation more than attacking the 161 they needed for a third win in a row they took tea with the score on 7-1, with Alec Short been the man out.
After the break the tempo changed as Alex Sparks took up the mantle and attacked left-arm spinner Shaffique as he advanced down the track to him and drove well over the top.
He and Rob Moysey advanced Wellington’s score to 42 before Wellington’s skipper was caught for a painstaking 12.
Julian Smit and Sparks played in the same vein and the Wellington innings was moving more along the lines that were required.
Sparks played an excellent innings of exactly fifty and this was an innings that would surely have gone on to greater things had he not been run out going for a tight single.
The hundred was passed with five wickets down and less than ten overs left – was the cautious approach adopted earlier going to catch Wellington out?
Mark Salter was not going to let this be the case as Wellington’s vice-captain, nursing a badly bruised eye as a result of having a ball deflected into it whilst fielding and batting in a helmet, took the attack to Mason, probably the fastest bowler in the league, with a flurry of boundaries on his way to 24. He was out trying deflect Hutchins to the vacant third man area, but his was a telling contribution on the way to Wellington securing a win.
Mark Saunders was quietly, but patiently, building a match winning innings for his team as he made 18no in total, he milked singles at will and then launched a telling six high into the netting on the leg-side – a shot that took the pressure off Wellington.
Thom Trott produced a tennis style smash to hit a four to long-off and Ilton were now under the pressure of stopping Wellington’s momentum.
Six were needed from the last over and courtesy of Sam Cook and Mark Saunders this was achieved in three balls.
Cook had hit a four in the penultimate over and his three that was hit over the bowler’s head saw that one was needed and when Saunders pushed one into the cover region the batsmen crossed and a wild attempt at a run out saw the pair turn for another run and this secured a fine 3 wicket win for Wellington and with it 35 excellent points to Ilton’s 15.
This win takes Wellington to fifth in Division One of the Somerset League.