The rain stopped Wellington dead in their tracks on the opening day of the 2011 Somerset League season when Paul Short’s side were on course for a victory on their longest journey of the season – to Paulton to play old rivals Purnells.

Short won an important toss and asked the home side to bat and they were soon in trouble at 25-3  as Thom Trott and Neil Hendy spearheaded Wellington’s initial breakthroughs; Trott took 2-17 in seven good fast overs and he looked the bowler of old.

Hendy’s figures were a little dented when C.Redwood lashed twenty runs in four balls, but all in all 1-32 was a good return for his accurate medium pace; Redwood’s 21 and Gregory’s 18 took Purnells to 64-3 in 18 overs, but they lasted just a dozen overs more as Luke Desave did what he was tasked with doing, bowling fast and straight and taking wickets as he claimed 4-42 in 11.5 fine overs and he had a fine league debut for Wellington; fellow league debutant Ali Bunce took 3-10 in 6 overs as his darting off spin was dangerous.

Wellington had despatched Purnells for 101 with 14.1 overs left and faced needing 102 to win to bring up a first win of the season, but it was not to be easy when it came to their turn to bat as Jones with 4-14 did much with the ball and reduced Wellington to 26-4 in 9 overs; Thom Trott with a sparkling 39no containing seven fours and a six and Rob Moysey quietend down the home side with a 37 run fifth wicket stand that saw Wellington move to within 40 of the Purnells total in the 18 overs they faced before tea, sadly though there was to be no more play after tea as the clouds tipped their contents all over the ground and the match was abandoned as a draw at 6.00pm with Wellington taking 25 points and Purnells 21.

Wellington host Belvedere this Saturday from 1.45pm