A dropped catch when North Perrott’s overseas player Johnson was on eleven proved to be absolutely crucial last weekend as he kicked on to make a feisty 130 not out as this rain ravaged game was taken to a conclusion in the end.

As the Club’s junior section reports advise that any cricket was possible over the weekend bearing in mind what came down on Friday afternoon was a testament to the efforts and sheer work of the ground team and they are warmly thanked for their efforts.

A desire to get the game on was also apparent from others involved too and this was good to see and with a background of the Past Players Association having their AGM and Lunch event on the day too it was great for their numbers to have some action to watch.

A start was made after 2.00pm and Wellington asked North Perrott to bat first and they struggled to get going which was no surprise given the conditions, but Ian Hewson removed Retter with the score on five and this saw a passage of play continue until another rain break with Perrott closing in on having faced twenty of their forty overs and they did not have fifty on the board – in this time Johnson had been dropped.

Hewson along with Jake Nichol, Will Derrick, Neil Hendy and Jack Beal had bowled their seam variety well and with control and had the measure of the visitors who had won their opening two games of 2017.

The game had become a 39 overs per side affair by now and Perrott skipper Whorlow had batted in his usual solid manner to make 20 before he hit one straight to Will Derrick at cover off of Jack Beal and with another Derrick catch giving Jake Nichol reward the game was balanced, but it saw Johnson crack 130no as he and Taylor really put their foot down and accelerated to such an extent that they had made it to 190-3 in 37.1 overs when another rain break forced tea to be taken and that Wellington would need 183 to win in 35 overs due to the way that weather breaks are sorted by WEPL’s playing regulations.

After losing a wicket early Wellington saw Kayden Hine and skipper Alex Sparks added 55 good second wicket runs to overcome that initial set back, but the Red and Blacks skipper suffered a hamstring injury and this saw him need a runner – he battled hard with this fact until he was LBW for 27.

Hine played a second good knock in two days as he made 26, but from then Whorlow and Johnson showed their bowling traits as Wellington suffered a middle order collapse with these slower bowlers along with Szczepanski (3-27) spinning their side to an eighteen point haul.

Neil Hendy with 20 and last wicket pair Rob Moysey with 15no and Jake Nichol with 14 played with defiance, but the game was up for Wellington with one ball to spare when Nichol was bowled by Retter and the visitors had a 55 run to go back home with.