Wellington 2nd XI got their season in Division One of the Somerset League’s Reserves competition under way with a 24 run win against Glastonbury 3rd XI in a match that was played at Meare C.C. after The Thorns own secondary pitch had suffered pre-season vandalism and was under repair.

Wellington were greeted with a slow and dry pitch and whoever won the toss would opt to bowl first – Richard Henwood’s side were asked to take first knock and lost a wicket on five when Kevin Crout was caught and bowled by Taylor (3-48) when he took a good one handed personal effort.

Trevor Brooks with a masterful 74 that saw that he batted for all but two balls of the Wellington innings and skipper Henwood added 77 second wicket runs for Wellington and this was the cornerstone of the Red and Blacks second string’s solid effort with the bat.

Henwood drove and pulled the ball well on his way to 34 before he picked out Wade in the deep from the bowling of Randall who bowled very well on the day to take 1-42 in 10 overs of finger spin.

Brooks and Richard Short added a crucial fifty-five runs for the third wicket and this saw Short make a fine 16.

Brooks made it to 74 with five fours and this shows the watchful nature of his innings – he bonded the Wellington effort and this was a great way for the former Temple Cloud man to start his second season in Wellington colours.

George Coate started 2009 as he had ended 2008 in that he cracked nearly thirty unbeaten runs in quick time to get Wellington to an even better total than they might have achieved – he ended 2008 taking 22 from the last over of the season and this offering of 28no was just what was required as he and Liam Kubicki – on league debut – got Wellington to 171-4 in 45 overs at tea.

Wellington had got some fifteen to twenty runs more than they had thought would be the case and these proved most vital in the end.

Adrian Lee got rid of Gould in the second over of the Glastonbury innings, but Lisk with 17 and Mason with 19 got going until a great catch by Jake Nicol off of George Coate saw the back of Lisk.

Wellington then chipped away and took wickets at regular intervals and this saw the demise of Glastonbury did occur in the end.

Lee with 3-33 in 10 overs and Coate with 4-28 in 10 overs bowled excellently and did the bulk of the work for Wellington.

Jake Nicol with 1-44 in seven overs bowled better than his figures suggest.

With Richard Henwood pulling up with a calf injury and only being able to bowl 4.3 overs on the day, the turn of the day goes to Richard Short who took 2-24 in 6.3 overs as he stood in for his skipper excellently.

Glastonbury skipper Odam with 40 threatened to spoil the party, but when he was out it was a matter of when and not if for Wellington.

Alex Troake got some good turn in his short spell and Wellington got the last two wickets in the fortieth over to win by 24 runs with five overs left and take 33 points to Glastonbury’s eleven.

Kevin Crout took two catches and Liam Kubicki took a hat-trick of catches behind the sticks and did so well on his league debut and with David Derrick and Steve Symons putting in good effort in the field this was a good team performance.

The team host Staplegrove 2^nd XI next weekend.