When Wellington had Taunton Deane 2nd XI at 56-7 they had high hopes of despatching the second placed team in the Premier Division of the Somerset League for the same sort of score as had been the case at Wellington back in May when the same quantity was just 79, but former Wellington players Russ and Dave Jones added a fine 83 runs for the Deane’s eighth wicket and with 41 more unbroken runs coming for the ninth wicket this gave the home side a decent total all told and in the end it was too much for the Red and Blacks as their batting did not fire as unit overall and they are in joint fourth place as a result, some sixty points away from the second promotion spot which Deane occupy as a result of their claiming 34 points to Wellington’s 12.

Deane had opted to bat first, but saw their top order dismantled clinically by Macaulay Campbell and Jack Beal who returned a first five wicket haul for the side.

Another former Wellington player in Tenny Harlow and former Staplegrove player Brendan Craggs had put on 24 for Deane’s opening wicket, but Campbell (2-33 in nine overs) saw the back of both as keeper Miles Cave and Ben Evett held on to catches and then the crumble started as Beal took 5-21 in nine superb overs of left-arm medium pace that the home side just could not deal with; catches from Miles Cave, Arron Campbell, two LBWs and a castle rearranged gave Beal his rewards and Wellington were in control.

However there was a sting in the tail as the Jones brothers steadied matters and then took them away from Wellington, not that 180-8 was a massive score all told, but having put in the hard yards early to not have finished the Deane innings off was disappointing as Russ made 50 and Dave 40no with Jason Squire weighing in with 14no late on; Arron Campbell took the other wicket to fall in taking 1-22 in nine overs and Neil Hendy was accurate as ever with just 23 runs coming from his eight overs.

With a wicket been lost first ball Wellington did not start well and it was Neil Hendy with 30 that held it all together as only Arron Campbell with 12, Luke Desave with 17 and Miles Cave with 12no made double figures in a Wellington innings that lasted 35 overs.

Deane’s attack was boosted by the good play that they had shown with the bat after a terrible start and with former Ashbrittle player Luke Williams bowling his leg spin well to the tune of 5-22 in nine overs, Jason Squire taking 2-10 in six overs and Ed Mellor been expensive, but pacy at the same time it was the home side that held sway in the end.