Wellington were, at last, able to take to the field and play a full game last Saturday afternoon as a Red and Blacks pre-season XI were hosted by Kilve CC’s 2nd XI, who play in the West Somerset League, and came away with a neat one hundred run win.

Rob Moysey chose to bat first on winning the toss and although a wicket was lost at 12 Trevor Brooks and Moysey himself got the score into the fifties before Moysey was caught for 19.

Brooks bonded the Wellington innings with a most decent knock of 35, but at 80-4 Wellington needed what Neil Hendy and Jack Beal provided; a 90 run fifth wicket partnership with Hendy making 51 including three sixes and Beal 72 with four maxima as both played very well indeed.

The lower order got their team’s total to over 200 and in forty overs this was a good effort given the stop-start nature of 2018’s pre-season for the Club.

For Kilve Marchent with 3-24 was their top performer with the ball.

With the bat Kilve’s second string were solid, but never truly threatened the 214 that they needed to win.

In truth the Wellington attack with Ryan Adams perhaps solving a certain wicket keeping question bowled supremely well as Macaulay Campbell and Jake Nichol took the new ball and although Payne and A.Rock survived there was much beating of the bat going on.

In the end first change bowler Lewis Sparks (1-16 in six overs) got rid of A.Rock for 18 through a smart catch by Rob Moysey at point.

Jack Beal was good value for figures of 1-17 in six overs as he too beat the bat and gave Ryan Adams good use of the gloves.

Ian Hewson and Neil Hendy continued the tight control and accuracy that typified the Wellington bowling effort as they took 1-14 and 1-16 in six and five overs respectively.

Payne was run out for 30 and from the Kilve middle order Taylor with 16 and Marchant with 15 made runs, but Wellington saw two runs effected and spin through Arron Campbell’s bowling off and Rob Moysey leg had Kilve hanging on come the end.