This was a quite extraordinary Somerset League Division One game at Stogumber last weekend when the newly promoted home side’s eighth wicket pair of James Rexworthy (cousin of Wellington’s Robbie) and Brandon Walsh added an unbeaten 135 runs to take their side from 153-7 to victory with four overs to spare and turn the game totally on its head.
 
On a batting track of the highest quality Wellington opted to bat on winning the toss and were rewarded with a 133 run opening stand between Paul Short and Neil Hendy; Short cover drove and square cut with precision and class in making 91, Hendy was more circumspect in making 34 and they were in no trouble at all, but the run out of Hendy broke the stand.
 
Marc Holloway and Aks Latifi added 54 for the third wicket, making 34 and 32 respectively as the Wellington score approached 200 – Holloway was a second run out victim through a direct hit and Latifi edged one to the keeper.
 
Rob Moysey with 44 and Richard Henwood with 25 kept the good momentum going for Wellington as they ran the ball around well and hit boundaries when able to; Wellington lost three wickets late on to end on 286-8 in 45 overs at tea.
 
For Stogumber off spinner Dane Gilbert with 4-43 in 10 overs had bowled well.
 
Wellington were aware of the dangers that a small ground, fast outfield and quality batting surface offered the home side, but with Darren Davis and Adrian Lee taking the new ball Wellington applied a tight rein on matters; it was made even better when Lee removed Stogumber’s best batsman James Weetch for 10 when he swung a ball through his defences and bowled him leg stump.
 
Ali Bunce tied Stogumber up in knots and Neil Hendy was taking wickets at the other end; good ground fielding was also prominent in the first thirty overs of the Stogumber innings for Wellington as Bunce and Scott Davey amongst others covered a fair bit of ground and at 153-7 Stogumber were looking at a third defeat in three, but Rexworthy and Walsh peppered the short leg side boundary and made 76no and 81no respectively to grab victory from the jaws of defeat as they played a couple of chanceless innings – no matter what Wellington tried they had a response and took their side to a win with 24 balls to spare to give an innings run rate of 7.02 per over.
 
This was a shock to the Wellington side, but crazy results do happen every so often, so being at home to double relegatees North Perrott this weekend will be a good way to bounce back.