Wellington Sunday XI and their Taunton St Andrews counterparts played out another compelling and closely fought game at the Wyvern Club last weekend and a tie was the result after TSA’s ninth wicket pair of Bowen and R.Yarde scrambled a leg bye off of the last ball to draw the scores level at 183.

TSA, who had won at Wellington back in August, came to be Wellington’s opposition once West Monkton CC had advised that they would not be able to fulfil the scheduled match.

Earlier unexpected heavy rain had made the journey from Wellington very wet indeed and some thought the game would be in doubt, but hard work by the TSA group got the playing area ready for a timely start and they asked Wellington to bat first on winning the toss.

Ben Evett, in great Sunday XI form this season, played a most inventive knock and this saw him add 21 opening wicket runs with Tyler Fyfe.

Evett cracked 59 with two sixes and when he was at the crease the runs flowed, but the introduction of left arm spin from Baldock (8-1-14-3) and leg spin from N.Yarde (8-4-11-2) checked Wellington’s progress and they slid from 77-1 to 95-6.

Andy Hurry and Rob Moysey consolidated and then built a stand of 72 for the seventh wicket as both stemmed the TSA, who are now a WEPL Premier Two (Bristol and Somerset) Division Club at 1st XI level – one tier above Wellington, momentum with knocks of 32 and 39no respectively and with some late order support coming the way of Moysey Wellington had 183-9 on the board at the break.

Tom Shannon and Ollie Hunt took the new ball for Wellington before it was a steady diet of spin for some thirty of the forty overs available to TSA.

TSA stalwart Martin Jenkins, who had a season with Wellington back in 2001 and played for Wellington AFC, made a calm, cool knock of 70 to take his side to 112-3 despite Arron Campbell and Rob Moysey removing three of the TSA top order with excellent off and leg spin.

It was the introduction into the attack of Ben Evett as he reprised his leg spin bowling that saw Jenkins perish for 70 caught by Andy Hurry at long off; one of three excellent such catches for Somerset CCC’s Director of Cricket.

Some good hitting from R.Hockey with 31 and the careful play of N.Yarde with 36 took TSA closer to the 184 that they needed to win and do the Sunday double over Wellington, but with Rob Moysey and Arron Campbell coming back into the attack to take 3-27 and 2-29 in eight overs respectively it left TSA at 180-7 going into the last over to be bowled by Ben Evett; Oli Beale took a catch to remove the dangerous German as Evett took 3-18 in four crucial overs.

It came down to one to tie and two to win for TSA from the last ball and it was a scrambled leg bye and Wellington not risking going for a wicket that brought the sides together and to parity.

Thanks go to TSA for stepping in at a late stage to see that Wellington had a game to look forward to on this occasion and the Red and Blacks have one more senior section engagement of the short 2020 season when the Sunday XI travel to take on West Somerset League side Kilve CC on Sunday 13th September, a game that has a 12.30pm start attached to it. Looking to leave Wellington at 11.00am.

Availability to Arron Campbell please.