Wellington 274-7 Belvedere 201
Wellington played themselves back into a decent Somerset League Division One position with this fine 73 run win at Weston-Super-Mare side Belvedere last weekend when they did the double over a side who started the game in joint fourth position them – Paul Short’s side are now in fourth place on their own and are fifty points behind top dogs Taunton Outcasts who had trouble in beating bottom side Barrington – having bowled them out for 63 they got home by just four wickets.
Belvedere asked Wellington to take first knock on a fine batting track and saw Paul Short and Michael Gill squeeze away any gain the home side may have had in winning the toss by adding 109 first wicket runs.
Gill made a fine 34 that saw him work the ball to leg very well and this was a knock that supported his skipper who made an excellent 78 with nine fours and a six as he cashed in on some wayward Belvedere bowling as the heat told on the home attack, Short also planted left arm spinner Taylor’s first ball for six and worked the ball around the fast paced outfield well for singles and twos, he was closing in on a ton when he was bowled by Taylor.
From then on Mark Salter played a pearl of an innings as he made 40 – after spending some time in the seconds and making a good number of runs there he was back with a bang and hit his runs in excellent time and had hit McCrea out of the ground when the young left arm seamer got his man next ball, but it had been a great hand by Salter.
Aks Latifi with a rapid 18 and further excellent knocks of 33 from Rob Moysey, 23 from Marc Holloway and 22 from Thom Trott not only added to Wellington’s total, but they were all made a good lick and gave Wellington a real chance of topping 300 – in the end the team had posted the second highest ever Somerset League/WEPL team total that a Wellington 1st XI had ever posted dating back to 1972.
Belvedere had had a chastening time in the field and only Watts with 3-47 seemed to have escaped the damage.
Belvedere had to give the 275 needed to win a go and they played Wellington’s opening attack of Michael Gill and Jake Nichol well enough, but Gill got Cooper to play at a widish delivery and he was caught behind by Aks Latifi who took four dismissals on the day and when Paul Short got one through Gullick’s defence Belvedere were 76-2 in 16 overs and this was the point for their skipper Chadwick with a fine 92 and Gadd with 35 to double their score for no further loss and this was causing Wellington some anxiety, but the excellent leg spin of Rob Moysey saw him take his third five wicket haul of the season in SCL matches as he spun through the Belvedere middle and lower order to take 5-51 in 12 overs, with Aks Latifi doing very well behind the stumps this combination saw the home side fall away from 150-2 to 201 all out with two balls to go.
Gill bowled twelve good overs and his 2-43 was vital in Wellington securing the win.
Neil Hendy ended things with 2-24 in 6.4 overs and gave Wellington a 73 run win and next week they entertain bottom side Barrington when nothing other than 35 points will do!
