In one of only two Somerset League Division One games to be played following the atrocious weather of the previous week Wellington started as they mean to carry on in 2012 when they beat last season’s runners up North Petherton at a cold and breezy Courtland Road last Saturday.

Club groundsman Simon Rudd and his team did so much hard work in the lead up to the game to get things on and it was a testament to these efforts that there was a game at all.

Petherton – with Ali Bunce who played for Wellington in 2011 back in their ranks – asked Wellington to bat first and it was hard going for Paul Short and Neil Hendy early on as Knight and Gibbs bowled a tight line and length that made run scoring hard work, but the opening Wellington wicket came when Hendy was run out after a call for quick single was aborted and he could not make his ground in time.

Skipper Short and Alex Sparks got their heads down and added 57 patient runs for the second wicket as run scoring opportunities were limited – only six boundaries were hit in the entire Wellington innings – Short had made it to 23 before he went to hit over the top and Bunce (3-38 in 12 overs) had a wicket.

Charlie Davies with a workmanlike 19 gave Sparks (48) fine support in a fifty run third wicket stand.

From 111-2 to 126-6 Wellington saw their score dip somewhat, but Rob Moysey and James Bath with 23no and 16 got the Red and Blacks to over 150 and Sam Murdock was with Moysey as Wellington pulled up one run short of an eighth batting point to leave North Petherton 160 to win.

The only time when they seemed to be in charge of the chase was when O.Irish and Gibbs were adding 55 for their fourth wicket as earlier Thom Trott and Luke Desave had reduced Petherton to 29-3 in 12 overs.

Irish made a fine 42, but was dropped once and made some profit from this drop, but other than Gibbs with 27 there was not really anyone to support this effort.

Indika Weerawarna was a handful as his bag of spin tricks came to the fore and he bowled better than 0-33 in 9 overs suggests.

Desave came back and took 4-15 (5-28 all told) in his second spell as he ran through the Petherton tail and this is such a potent weapon to have access to, this and Rob Moysey’s 3-34 in 10 overs delivered 32 points to Wellington.

The only other game to survive was Temple Cloud’s match with Watchet and the Bristol side took 34 points from a 65 run win.

Wellington trek north to Purnells next weekend.