Wellington 2nd XI marched on to a seventh win in a row and closed the gap on Somerset League Reserves Competition Division Two leaders Bridgwater 3rd XI to a nominal six points with this eight wicket win at North Perrott last Saturday, combined with Bridgwater losing at Chew Magna matters could have a taken a decisive turn in favour of the Red and Blacks who are also in with a shout of winning the Somerset League’s Team of the Month award for July having collected 167 points out of a possible 175 in the calendar month writes David Derrick.

Wellington arrived at the excellent North Perrott facility on the Somerset/Dorset border with the game in some doubt, for not only had rain fallen on the morning of the match, but the wicket that had been selected for the match was close to a wicket that was to be used for a midweek Somerset 2nd XI match with Gloucestershire 2nd XI and with this wicket being covered some of the accumulated rainwater had seeped off the covers and on to the wicket for this match. In the end after discussions between the two sides a start was made at 2.15pm with a full match of 45 overs per side still being on offer.

James Dyke won the toss and stuck with the formula that has brought his team the success it is currently enjoying by asking relegation-threatened North Perrott to take first knock.

Nineteen runs came off the first two overs and this looked ominous for Wellington as North Perrott’s ground is a vast expanse, but Richard Henwood and Andy Mitchell pulled things back to see that North Perrott had less than thirty on the board after ten overs. Mitchell got the initial breakthrough when he got Heard to edge behind to Julian Jones who kept wicket tidily throughout Wellington’s time in the innings.

Things then became quiet for Wellington as Bradley and James added 66 second wicket runs for the home side who have been making some good scores on their won patch recently and it looked as if Wellington would be needing between 230 and 250 to win.

Bradley made it to 51 before splicing one to Richard Short at point off of Marc Holloway, who was making his first appearance since June 17 when he suffered a hand injury at Peasedown St John whilst playing for the 1st XI.

Holloway’s nagging medium pace took 1-44 in 8 overs as he maintained a good line and length in the second half of his spell in particular.

Bob Trott provided Wellington’s spin option on the day and his figures of 0-31 in 10 overs represent excellent work by the vice-captain at a time when North Perrott’s top scorer James (86no) was looking to push things on as he played a fine knock for the home side.

Along with Hodgkins (32) the threat of North Perrott making 230 plus was still there, but Dave Hewitt, playing a league game for Wellington for the first time in some three years, showed all his old class with a spell of 2-30 in 8 overs as he ensured that North Perrott did not get past the psychological 200 mark.

The only aspect of Wellington’s time in the field that could have been improved on was their catching as some chances to gain more bowling bonus points were spurned.

Wellington forgot any such lapses when they took up the challenge of making 198 as they chased down the total with 4.1 overs and eight wickets in hand, indeed on this seven match winning run only seventeen wickets have been lost out of a possible seventy.

Phil Nicholls again anchored the innings with a fine 73no that saw him work the ball around the field well, combining this approach with shots for boundaries when the opportunity arose. Nicholls is fast becoming a rock at the top of the Wellington 2nd XI order as he is racking up an impressive haul of not out innings.

Julian Jones played the aggressive role at the other end to Nicholls and he had made 26 in no time and looked like he could do some serious damage to the North Perrott bowlers figures, but having taken Heard (2-21 in 12 overs) for a four over mid-wicket he tried again and presented the keeper with an easy catch.

Richard Short joined Nicholls and he again did a fine job in tandem with Wellington’s remaining opener as he made 23 good runs. Short was dismissed at 68-2, but from this point on Wellington did not look back as Nicholls and Marc Holloway added an unbroken 143 for the third wicket.

They tamed and then took on and won the duel against a North Perrott attack that tried all available options open to it, but none worked.

Holloway crowned his return from injury with 59no as Wellington won at a canter to take 30 points to North Perrott’s eleven.

This was another good day at the office for Wellington 2nd XI and they have now lost just three of their last 22 league matches.