Bridgwater 3rd XI 204 Wellington 2nd XI 198-9
Wellington 2nd XI should have won this Somerset League Reserves Competition Division One fixture last weekend, but they let Bridgwater off the hook having had them 31-4 and then having batted themselves into contention at 157-2.
Adrian Lee won the toss and asked Bridgwater to bat first and it was Lee and Martin Short who ran the show as they both obtained good swing and seam movement and removed the visitors top order with some assistance from George Coate who put in a bullet of a throw to directly run out Epps.
But Wellington let Bridgwater get away as Berry with 27, Cowley (35), Boobyer (49) and Davies (24) cashed in on some wayward bowling that saw Wellington let 28 wides and no-balls be sent down and these extra runs and deliveries were critical in the end and represented 50 overs in the field in hot conditions for Wellington.
Adrian Lee with 5-24 in 8.2 overs was the pick of the Wellington attack with Martin Short (1-35 in 12) being of good value too. There were wickets for Richard Henwood and George Coate too as Bridgwater were finally out in the last over and it had been a testing time for Wellington’s second string.
Kevin Crout and Liam Kubicki got Wellington’s reply under way in confident mood with Kubicki playing well off of the back foot, but he tried to pull a ball from Turner that wasn’t really there for the shot and was bowled.
Richard Henwood joined Crout and added 77 second wicket runs and this was when Wellington were at their most dominant with Henwood making 36 and launching the ball out of the ground twice – he fell to a good one handed catch by Bridgwater skipper Cowley.
Graham Sparks made a vibrant 19 as Kevin Crout’s elegant innings of 77 was the mainstay of the Wellington batting effort with nine fours, but Wellington got bogged down and Crout lost the strike at crucial times and with the rate rising the bat was started to be flung in all directions and this cost Wellington wickets – Jake Viney and George Coate fell going for big shots.
Crout was eventually run out for 77 as Wellington went for all runs possible and although Martin Short, David Derrick and George Hooper tried valiantly to get Wellington to the 205 required they fell an agonisingly seven runs short.
Wellington 2nd XI took 19 points from this match and are one point and one place ahead of Glastonbury 3rd XI who they entertain this weekend in what is going to be a crucial fixture for both sides as they attempt to gain the points they need to stay in the division.
