Wellington Cricket Club

This was a much improved performance in the field from Wellington Sunday XI as they beat WECCC (Somerset Division) side Street on their own patch last weekend to make it four wins and a tie in five matches with the team from the Somerset Levels.
David Derrick called correctly and opted to bat on a dry, dusty pitch that had some inconsistent bounce at all times and the score that his side put together was a challenging one in the end.
Marc Holloway and Kevin Crout got away in good style for Wellington as they added 27 for the first wicket – Holloway had played some excellent cover drives in his 14 before he feathered one to Street keeper Evely and Wellington had lost their first wicket.
Crout hit a fine 30 with the best aspect of his innings been the way that he dealt with the overpitched ball – he played across the line to be out bowled, but had performed well in his first knock of the season.
Thom Trott played a fairly sedate knock of 20, but the Wellington vice-captain looked solid and was out with the score at 86-3 when he was trapped LBW.
James Dyke hit a breezy 21 before been run out and he is in good form as the start of the league season approaches – he and David Marshall got the impetus back into the Wellington innings at a time when Street skipper Bartlett – who hit 140no in this match three seasons ago – was keeping things tight with his off-spinners that realised 1-24 in 8 good overs for the home side.
Simon Rudd – making a rare appearance for the Sunday XI – found good value for the three classical leg glances that he played to the fine leg boundary that had – inexplicably – been left vacant by Street, this gap was only plugged after Rudd had played the ball away with ease.
He and David Marshall – who again was undefeated at the end of his time at the crease – added a capital 66 for the fifth Wellington wicket. Wellington’s overseas player hit 46no with one big six and worked the ball around the field well to ensure that a stream of singles was forthcoming.
Richard Henwood and Andy Perry got Wellington up to 180-6 at tea and this was felt to be a good score on an – at times – difficult surface.
Street had bowled tidily, but no bowler took more than one wicket for the home side.

Wellington were soon into their stride as the mind-set from the previous week at Burnham-on-Sea was quickly forgotten and Street’s top order was quickly reduced to 36-5 as David Marshall and Adrian Lee got to work – Marshall bowled quick and straight and extracted much movement and was giving Kevin Crout behind the Wellington sticks much to do in terms of handling the ball. Marshall got two LBW decisions to go his way too and after all his appealing in vain at Burnham-on-Sea he deserved these. He took 3-20 in 8 overs delivered in two spells, his other wicket coming through a James Dyke catch.
Lee bowled with accuracy and guile to take 3-24 in 8 good overs as he pitched the ball up to the bat and moved it away well at times – he has started well this season and has done a great job for his side so far.
Simon Rudd bowled a great spell then got a little let down in the field so as to dent his figures, but he took the final wicket of the match as Richard Henwood held a lofted chance at long-on – Rudd took 1-25 in 5.2 overs.
George Coate bowled excellently in his first five over burst, taking 2-10 with two wicket maidens. He removed Street’s top scorer Evely for 28 as he clung on to a caught-and-bowled chance and Thom Trott took a low catch to remove Hill for 14.
Richard Henwood reduced Street to 81-8 and a heavy Wellington win was on the cards, but Malone (21), Farrow (17) and P.Linter (8no) raised the home side’s score to 141 all out in 35.2 overs to lessen the blow to only a 39 run away win.
Wellington were in good fettle here and beat a useful Street side – the league now begins and with a Sunday league match as well next weekend it will be a testing, but invigorating time for the Red and Blacks as they start their assault on honours for the 2007 season.

Wellington made the trip to Weston-Super-Mare to play SCL Division Two side Belvedere and were presented with a hard, flat track that looked made for batting on and whoever won the toss was going to take first use for sure – that choice went to the home side and through R.Tasker and Gullick they added an opening wicket partnership of 104 in 20 overs. Tasker made it to a fine 70 and decided to retire out to give opportunity to others to have an early-season knock.
Wellington had found that Belvedere are a strong batting outfit on their own track as they saw the ball fly to the boundary – particularly the third man area – with increasing regularity, but Tasker was spilt when he was nearing 40, so the chance had been there to have terminated his innings in conventional style.
Richard Henwood got the season’s first wicket for Wellington when he induced the compact Gullick to guide one to Rob Moysey at gully and he was gone for a steady 37.
Chadwick took time to get going, but made 26 before he became one of two victims for Bob Trott who wheeled away for 2-36 in 6 overs as the spinners got more out of the track than the seamers.
Paul Short took 1-41 in 8 overs and bowled with some good control and variety.
Richard Henwood effected a good throw and aim at the stumps to run out Mott and Belvedere – who had looked like getting in excess of 250 – were falling away a little.
I.Tasker with 25 and Holland with 38no did a job to raise the home side’s total to 231-6 at tea.
Kevin Symons had bowled well for Wellington, but his figures had not done him justice.

Rob Moysey and Marc Holloway opened up for Wellington and amassed a fine stand of 86 as Moysey – batting with a finger injury suffered playing rugby – did not show any discomfort as he drove and cut well for 36 before R.Tasker bowled him with a leg-break that kept low and found it’s way through the Wellington captain’s defence.
Alex Sparks joined Holloway and he played some nice wristy shots in a knock of 16, but he leathered one to R.Tasker who held onto a great caught and bowled chance.
All the time Marc Holloway was played some crisp shots and he chalked up Wellington’s first fifty of the 2007 season, he was trapped LBW for 57, but had done a great job for his team.
James Dyke started out well and after Sam Cook had been run out to leave Wellington 128-4 he and David Marshall combined to add an unbroken 105 run partnership for the fifth wicket.
Dyke angled the ball well and hit the bad ball for four and out of the ground twice in a knock of 56no that was pleasing to watch and was perfectly complimented by Marshall who hit a composed innings of 40no with one six – he played competently and timefully as he and Dyke milked the Belvedere bowling and achieved the six wicket win with some 2.3 overs to spare.

A good workout all round and pleasing result for the club.

That the Sunday XI took this match to the penultimate ball was testament to how Wellington bowled having leaked extras left, right and centre as this aspect of their game was found to be wanting.
Burnham-on-Sea – another SCL Division Two club – asked Wellington to bat on winning the toss and David Derrick and Thom Trott repelled the threat of Burnham’s overseas player Karmakar for a while at least before Derrick was bowled by Smith trying to lift him back over his head.
Kevin Symons joined Trott and they added 67 runs for Wellington’s second wicket. Trott was finding the middle of the bat and had got to 28 when he, like Derrick had tried to, aimed to hit the ball over the top, but only succeeded in finding the mid-off fielder.
Symons angled the ball well and got some good value for his shots to third man in making 41, but was another catch casualty.
James Dyke hit a third six of the weekend and was looking in the same sort of form as had been the case at Belvedere the previous day, but he tried the pull shot and got the ball high on the splice and was caught at mid-wicket for 12.
David Marshall played another composed knock and totalled 44no as he received some excellent support during his time at the crease.
Andy Perry was getting set when he was a run out victim and Grant Davey was striking the ball cleanly when he found the deep mid-wicket, Adrian Lee provided some good late runs too.
George Coate played a capital knock of 16no as he and Marshall added 52 for the eighth wicket and hoisted Wellington to one run short of 200 by tea – Coate played one of his best Wellington knocks as he found the gaps well and gave Marshall the confidence to play his natural game.

When Adrian Lee removed Burnham’s club captain Bloodworth with the first ball of his season and all looked rosy for Wellington and with David Marshall charging in from the other end the home side – who needed five an over to win – were been tied down.
Ashfold, who kept the Burnham innings together, was the recipient of many good shouts for LBW from Marshall across his two spells that totalled ten overs, but in the end his 65no and Wellington’s propensity to give away extras (74 in total in the Burnham innings) was the difference in the end.
Marshall got his first Wellington wicket when he castled Karmakar for 22 to make Burnham 43-2.
Grant Davey bowled an excellent seven over spell and thought he had Steer caught behind, but the chance was put down and the 109 third wicket that Ashfold and Steer added was pivotal, but Davey did a great job for his team and the quality of his spell bodes well for the season ahead.
Wellington fell away somewhat in the field during this stand, but Marshall (2-29) removed Steer with his first ball back into the attack and with Kevin Symons getting an LBW decision at the other end the game was back in the balance. Marshall appealed with all his might to get an LBW decision to go for him, but it was not to be.
Adrian Lee got a wicket early in his second spell and the game was still alive into the last over, but a lofty blow for four by White settled matters and gave Burnham-on-Sea a five wicket win.
Steve Symons fielded well on his Wellington debut and his efforts did a part in taking the game to the limit.