Wellington Cricket Club

Wellington 1st XI chase their first honours since winning the Somerset League title back in 2000 when they take on either Taunton Outcasts or Ashbrittle in the final of the Terry Mockridge Memorial Shield at Staplegrove C.C. on the evening of Monday 16th June.

The trophy – which is awarded to the winners of the competition which runs alongside the Baker Cup – is in it’s fourth season and is awarded in memory of Terry Mockridge, who was a prominent club cricketer with Taunton Outcasts and later an administrator who was a founder committee member of the Somerset Cricket League, in which Wellington play.

Wellington have got to this stage through having suffered a narrow last ball defeat to Western Alliance side Taunton in the first round of the main competition and then been drawn at home to West Somerset League side Brompton Ralph in the last eight of the Terry Mockridge competition.

Taunton Deane 2nd XI – from the Premier Two 2nd XI Division of the WEPL – were beaten by four wickets on their own patch in the semi-finals and this has opened up a final appearance against either Taunton Outcasts, who play alongside Wellington in Division One of the Somerset League and occupy eighth position as of the end of May, or Ashbrittle, who have recently left the West Somerset League to join the Somerset League where they were placed in Division Three, they have started well and are top of this section at the end of May.

Wellington have enjoyed playing at Staplegrove this season so far, having played there twice so far with wins having been recorded by the 1st and Sunday XIs, so the hope is that neutral opposition will not stop this run and it will be a third win in this mini-run for the Red and Blacks.

Winning the shield – held currently by the hosts of the match – would be the first tangible result for the Wellington club after their strategic review that was conducted after the 2007 season and the implementation of a number of new procedures and policies.

Currently Wellington lie third in Division One of the Somerset League and will hope for a good run-in to the final as they will have played two league matches prior to the final with both ends of the league providing the opposition – bottom side South Petherton were the visitors to Courtland Road last weekend (7/6/08) and the league match leading into the shield final is at Butleigh – the early season leaders of the Somerset League – they have recruited heavily over the close season and are reaping benefits so far, so Wellington need to go there and win to lay down a marker for the league season and the final they face just 48 hours later.
Added to that when Wellington last visited Butleigh on the last day of the 2006 season they relegated them by virtue of a five wicket win, so that adds extra spice to a fixture that is already one to look forward to.

It will be a tough match either way as 20 over per side cricket is hard to call, but Paul Short’s men can be happy with their recent form and know they have it themselves to carry off the Shield.

Whoever they get in the final it will be a new name on the Terry Mockridge Memorial Shield – a fine way of remembering a pivotal figure in the history of Somerset club cricket and in particular the Taunton Deane area.

Wellington are through to the final of the Terry Mockridge Memorial Shield and a match with either Taunton Outcasts or Ashbrittle courtesy of this nervy, but ultimately successful run chase at Taunton Deane on Monday evening when they saw off the home club’s 2nd XI in the last over of this 20 over per side match.
With rain falling on arrival and getting steadier as the game wore on Deane opted to bat first on winning the toss, but never really got going as Wellington’s out cricket went well.
Thom Trott and Paul Short went for only 33 runs combined as they sent down the opening ten overs – runs were kept to a minimum, but also wickets were taken regularly and this is what restricted Deane further.
Trott with 3-14 in 5 overs and Short with 1-19 in the same did well for their side.
Max Capaldi and Matt Daniel took up the reins as first change and did not vary things as Deane continued to struggle. Catches from Paul Short, John Paine and a smart stumping from Kevin Crout aided Wellington to wrap the Deane innings up for 94.
Only a 49 run stand for the sixth wicket between Holloway and Jones had got the Deane this far.
Capaldi with 2-28 and 3-22 from Daniel did the job as spin was again prominent for Wellington.
With Mark Salter out with a hamstring injury, Alec Short unavailable through other playing commitments and James Dyke nursing a slight niggle there had been changes from the side as selected originally and the inclusions had done well with several players stepping up from the 2nd XI to good effect.

The Wellington innings started with two maiden overs and a wicket, but Rob Moysey and Matt Daniel added 25 runs to get the Wellington reply going, but both were out within five runs as Daniel was well caught in the gully area and Moysey tried to run one down to third man and was bowled.
Marc Holloway played a useful knock of 11 before he was caught trying to force the pace.
Paul Short – batting well at the moment – bonded his side’s innings together with 21 and John Paine with 12 did the work to get Wellington to a within a manageable amount of runs of the required total.
But both perished with the winning line within sight as Taunton Deane 2nd XI – who play their league cricket in the Premier Two 2nd XI division of the WEPL – pushed the game to the last over, but Kevin Crout with an angled four and Trevor Brooks, who slammed a half-volley for four, did the job for Wellington with three balls left and made the good sized travelling Wellington support content and happy in the knowledge that they would appear in the final at Staplegrove on Monday 16th June from 6.15pm.