Wellington Cricket Club

Wellington were involved in a thrilling match with Wembdon as they crossed the finishing line with only one ball to spare when it truly looked as if any of three results was possible.
On a very hot day batting first on winning the toss was the most likely outcome whoever had the choice and Wembdon opted to bat.
They must have regretted this choice as their innings was torn apart by Adrian Lee, Thom Trott and Julian Smit. Six of Wembdon’s top seven made single figure scores and at 25-6 things looked very bleak for a team already coming to terms with relegation out of the WECCC pyramid last season.
However their skipper Lee played an innings that any captain would be proud of as he lashed 88 fine runs and gave his side’s innings a real boost as he added 94 with Phillips (16) for Wembdon’s seventh wicket, without these runs the team from Bridgwater would have been nowhere.
There were further tail-end runs from Bingham with 32no and from a situation of immense peril Wembdon had rescued their situation somewhat.
Wellington had bowled well, expecially early on, as Adrian Lee took 2-13 in 5 overs before giving way to Julian Smit who took 3-27 in 12 accurate overs, a fine effort in the instense heat.
Thom Trott took 1-60 in 10 overs and perhaps his figures suffered a little when Lee was giving the Wellington bowling the charge, but he did a great job all told.
Simon Rudd bolwed his medium pacers to excellent effect as he let only 16 runs go in 9 overs and he accounted for Harrison.
But Wembdon had made a competitive total of 177-8 in 45 overs at tea and Wellington were going to have to hit their highest total of the season if they were to overhaul it.

The Red and Blacks could not have had a better start as Rob Moysey and Marc Holloway added 133 for the opening wicket as both played beautifully and got full value for their shots against a Wembdon side that tried seven bowlers all told in their efforts to defend the 177 runs that they had to play with.
Moysey struck 57 and Holloway ten more as Wembdon’s attack was rather toothless.
But with their combined departure within four runs of each other, Wellington did make things a little hard for themselves insofar as the overs were ticking down and wickets were lost as well.
At 172-5 six were needed to win from six balls and the cool heads of Julian Smit and Mark Saunders saw that these runs were collected by way of four singles and a two from the first five balls of the over and with it Wellington had a five wicket win to be proud of and 33 invaluable points that lift them one place to eighth in Division One of the Somerset League.
They now have a gilt edged opportunity to bulid on this victory when they travel to bottom side Peasedown St John this Saturday.
The Bath based side are propping up the division with only 68 points from five defeats and a cancellation in six games and look like they are there for the taking, but Wellington will have to do something that they have never done and that is win at the Red Post ground. Their record at this outpost of Somerset cricket grounds is three losses, one draw and a cancellation from five visits between 1997 and 2005.

The match ball for this fixture was kindly sponsored by Noel Dillon Paintless Dent Removal (0781 0395 0037)

On a hot evening last Thursday Wellington Midweek XI recorded a fine win over a strong Mallards batting side as they contested their second 20/20 match of the season and carried off a handsome eight-wicket win.
Mallards opted to bat and started well as Palmer struck 44 in quick time as he was prepared to charge the bowlers and this paid dividends, for a while at least.
He and opening partner Kohli added 53 in under 8 overs and the signs were looking ominous for Wellington, but Kevin Symons held his nerve to take a steepling caught and bowled chance and this started a slowdown in the visitors run rate. Symons took 1-28 in 5 good overs.
Dennis Fullstone joined the attack and he rolled back the years with a four over spell that realised 2-18, he bowled Palmer and Vaughan with deliveries that cut back off the seam and a laconic run out from Thom Trott saw the back of Stephenson as he no more than just ambled in, but hit the stumps full on.
Mallards keeper Lee struck 19 late on as his team posted 128-6 in their 20 overs, a score that Wellington would have taken bearing in mind the start that had been made earlier.

Wellington lost Sam Cook to a hamstring injury in the second over and Kevin Crout was joined by Julian Smit and they powered Wellington to a position of supremacy as they added 70 of the 83 runs that were put on for Wellington’s opening wicket.
Crout worked the ball around the field well, hitting 4 fours in his excellent 36 that was only ended when he was caught on the boundary’s edge.
Smit made a fine 60no with seven fours and looked the part with the bat.
Andy Perry made a lavish 10 as he made sure that Wellington would win with time and overs to spare and skipper Rupert Green was at the crease with Smit when an eight wicket Wellington Midweek XI win was posted with 3.3 overs to spare.

The teams will meet in the reverse match on the evening of Thursday 6th July at the Civil Service Club, Trull Road, Taunton. This game will begin at 6.15pm at the latest.

Wellington Midweek XI’s next 20/20 match is another home match, this time against Nynehead on Tuesday 20th June, 6.15pm start.
Details are available from team captain Rupert Green.

Wellington 2nd XI were confronted with the same scenario at Chew Court as was the case in the match above in that they won the toss and had the opportunity to take first use of a nice looking dry pitch that had benefited from a dry, sunny week.
But this advantage was tossed away as several batsmen got starts with as many as seven of Wellington’s order getting into the teens, but not one made it into the twenties.
Kevin Crout and Julian Jones started things off in good style before Jones was trapped LBW by one from veteran bowler Thomas who was playing 1st XI cricket just a couple of years ago.
He then got one through Crout’s defence with a ball that dipped at the last minute – he top scored for Wellington with 19.
Mark Saunders – making his first appearance of 2006 – spent good time at the wicket and was driving the ball well when he feathered an edge to the keeper and was gone for 11.
Richard Short and Bob Trott played well as Short hit over the top well for 16 and Trott pulled the ball hard through mid-wicket when the opportunity presented itself, but just as both were looking set Trott (12) edged one behind down the leg-side – the ultimate strangle as such and Short perhaps tried one big shot too many and looped one to Hurford at cover.
David Derrick found the middle of the bat, but also the point fielder and when he was out at 78-7 Wellington 2nd XI were in some danger.
Andy Mitchell reacted to this by playing positively and he made 18 good runs as he freed his arms and hit three boundaries in his best innings of the season so far.
He was looking set for an extended stay at the crease, but Locke (4-31 in 11.4 overs) yorked him and despite Phil Nicholls (11no) trying to rotate the strike and use up the overs Wellington 2nd XI were all out for just 115 in 38.4 overs – 6.2 less than they were entitled to.
Kirk with 4-36 in 10 overs also did much damage for Chew Magna 2nd XI.

Wellington 2nd XI had to work smart in the field and restrict run scoring opportunities, but in truth they were somewhat ragged in the field as runs came at a fast rate for the home side and nearly a whole batting point was given away in wides.
Martin Short bowled his usual line and length left arm around and 1-22 in 8 overs was a good return in the circumstances.
A steady catch by Ben Green gave Short his wicket.
Andy Mitchell joined the attack and tied things up, but the steady hand of R.Gatton with 47no ensured that the home side
would always get home in the end.
Ben Green’s leg-spin is improving all the time and he bowled another useful spell.
Bob Trott chipped in with a successful LBW shout against Kirk and despite James Dyke trying all options Chew Magna 2nd XI coasted home by seven wickets and obtained 35 point to Wellington 2nd XI’s rather modest eight.
Despite this defeat Wellington 2nd XI stay in fifth place in Division Two of the Somerset League’s Reserves competition.

The week’s good weather had produced a pitch that looked like it would be full of runs and that batting first would be a good move and it transpired that this is what did occur as Rob Moysey won the toss and elected to bat.
Moysey and opening partner Mark Salter gave Wellington a solid start, but both were out close together and it was left to Alex Sparks and Julian Smit to forge a good third wicket stand of 55 that took Wellington towards a hundred runs.
Sparks made 26 and he is adapting to 1st XI cricket all the time. Smit was one blow away from what would have been Wellington 1st XI’s first fifty of the season, but when he was dismissed for 44 the Red and Blacks collapsed into a dreadful heap as the score declined from 78-2 to 111 all out.
This score was a long way short of what the pitch was worth and what the sort of batting line-up that Wellington have on paper should be achieving.
Chew Magna’s bowlers shared the wickets out amongst them evenly.

Wellington’s bowling has been the better performing of their suits so far this summer and they made Chew Magna fight all the way to the 112 required.
Adrian Lee bowled a tight spell first up as he conceded only five runs from five overs, but Ackland and Beedell made the running in the middle order and although there were wickets late on for Wellington, Chew Magna made it home by five wickets and took 35 points to Wellington’s ten.
Wellington stay ninth in the Division One with 76 points.

The match ball for this match was kindly sponsored by CDB Enterprises (01823 665842).

Wellington put up an excellent show against West of England Premier League Two side Ilminster in the quarter-finals of the Baker Cup last Tuesday evening before going down by twenty-five runs at Courtland Road in a match that was been played at the second time of asking due to poor weather last Monday.

Ilminster ‘A’ opted to bat first and were given a good start by two of the three former Westlands players that they had in their ranks as Rideout and Kuhn put on an opening stand of 37 before Gary Tillett got one through the latter’s defences for 13
Rideout was joined by Somerset CCC’s reserve wicketkeeper Sam Spurway and the 78 runs they added took the game away from Wellington in the final analysis.
Rideout made 59 and Spurway an unbeaten 42.
Julian Smit and Thom Trott rejoined the attack and took three wickets between them as Ilminster ‘A”s innings ended in a rather calm sort of manner – not normal in these sort of fixtures where the last few overs usually see plenty of runs and wickets.
Trott took 2-32 in 5 good overs.

Rob Moysey and Mark Salter added in excess of fifty runs for Wellington’s first wicket and had they gone on further then the visitors may have had more to think about during their time in the field than they did as Moysey was first to go for 21 when he spliced a full toss to short third man.
Salter added two more after his skipper had been dismissed before planting one into the hands of the short fine-leg for 22.
Alex Sparks played a super innings of 18 on what was only his second 1st XI appearance and he used his feet very well to the spinners.
Smit was bowled for eleven.

Realistic hopes of a Wellington win had gone with the dismissal of Salter and Moysey, but Stuart Currall and Marc Holloway kept the Red and Blacks innings going with an unbroken stand of 21 runs for the sixth wicket that saw out time at 116-5 in 20 overs.