Wellington stay joint top of the Somerset League through this 49 run win at relegated Barrington last weekend when they got through a stubborn home batting line up in the end to get 35 points and stay at the helm at this early stage.

With a cold day and a raw wind to contend with Wellington were asked to bat first and lost a wicket in the first over before Michael Gill and Neil Hendy posted a fine 110 run stand for the second wicket – Hendy was soon into his stride as he laid into the short and wayward bowling that Barrington – playing Wellington at first team level for the first time in ten years – served up as he pulled Pettit for two sixes in his second over and generally dominated the home attack to the tune of 68 before he was caught and bowled by leg spinner Payne (4-63).

Gill made a fine 30 and supported Hendy all the way before he too fell to the spinner.

Marc Holloway with 17 and Aks Latifi with 34 got Wellington to 159-3 in 31 overs and were looking to rekindle their blitz against Belvedere the week before, but Redwood with 3-46 in 12 overs got both LBW and this saw Wellington fall away somewhat to 176-7 and with the overs left still in double figures Wellington needed to avoid been bowled out early and for less than 200.

Great work from Liam Kubicki and Tom Baycock saw that 30 runs were added for the eighth wicket as Baycock made a vital 16 and Kubicki – who was to suffer a serious hand injury later on – gave support and Sam Murdock and Adrian Lee continued in the same way to get Wellington to 216 all out in the last over.

Barrington had rallied by taking nine Wellington wickets for 102, but the 217 they needed seemed too many and when Michael Gill got rid of A.Whitehead with the first legitimate ball of their innings Wellington were on course.

Adrian Lee shared the new ball with Gill and they reduced Barrington – relegated from the Somerset Division of the WEPL in 2009 – to 23-3 in 13 overs.

Redwood with 70 stablised the innings for the home side, but Wellington kept chipping away with Rob Moysey again showing great control and variety with his leg spin.

Barrington were determined to grind Wellington into delivering all 45 overs in a cold and windy setting, but Neil Hendy’s tidy medium pace realised 5-29 in 8.1 overs as Wellington got home by 49 runs with eleven balls left in the game – determination played a part in this win and such needs to be shown in the next two matches both of which are at home – to North Petherton and Westlands.

The team have now won five of their last seven games and will feel pretty good about their game so far in 2010 with the only bad aspect been that Liam Kubicki was taken to Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton with a nasty case of split webbing on his right hand from fielding – he is likely to be out for a few weeks.