Wellington Cricket Club

On a damp pitch, but in hot conditions Stogumber won the toss and asked Wellington to bat first and Paul Short and Alex Sparks reacted to this by adding 54 in 10 overs first up as their opening bowlers were all over the shop with a mixed bag of no balls, wides, half volleys and long hops that were despatched; Short was trapped LBW by C.Weetch to end the stand for 21.

Charlie Davies played a mature knock that guided the Wellington innings to the near 200 run value it was finally worth; he worked the ball around the large playing area for 39 excellent runs – Aks Latifi with a powerful 20 saw Wellington towards 150, but a flurry of wickets from Rexworthy (5-46 in 12 overs) reduced Wellington to 166-8 and they were in trouble of not seeing their overs through, but Rob Moysey – back after a month out with a finger injury – made 20no and Ali Bunce’s 11 saw 30 ninth wicket runs added and this just pepped up Wellington’s final total that was 198-9 at tea.

Stogumber were one down for no score as early as the seventh ball of their innings as George Hooper got C.Weetch to chip one to Max Capaldi at mid off.

Watts and Stogumber skipper J.Weetch replied to this matter by adding 67 for the visitors second wicket as both played well and made 29 apiece; they gave Wellington cause for some concern as they played both seam and spin well, but through consistently applying pressure Wellington got them both as Rob Moysey spun them both out.

Gilbert with 45 threatened to do the job one handed and Wellington were always nervous bearing in mind their defeat at Stogumber back in May, but the second spell from skipper Paul Short removed any doubts of an away win as he took 5-40 all told in 11.5 overs with four LBW shouts going his way to show how accurately he bowled.

Ali Bunce with 2-26 in 10 overs was also an important cog in the Wellington attack and the job was done with one ball left and brought Wellington 34 points to Stogumber’s 17 and they now fall into the relegation zone.

Wellington visit bottom side North Perrott this weekend and they are well adrift of safety and nothing less than 35 points is on the menu.

Paul Short (Capt), Thom Trott, Aks Latifi (Wkt), George Hooper, James Bath, Rob Moysey, Ali Bunce, Marc Holloway, Charlie Davies, Alex Sparks and Max Capaldi.

Meet at Pavilion at 12.30pm for a 1.45pm start.

Details from Paul Short.

Although Wellington were late in arriving at the Weston Super Mare based side due to a bad accident on the M5 all was well when the toss was won and the home side were asked to bat knowing that their batting had been fragile this season.

Luke Desave and Thom Trott saw the Belvedere did not get away as they let 23 runs go in the 13 overs that represented their combined opening spell; Desave was excellently quick and hostile and made Aks Latifi behind the stumps get airborne on more than one occasion and Trott bowled his 12 overs on the reel for a second week, with skipper Paul Short taking two fine slip catches and Desave holding on to a steepler at fine leg Trott had the first three wickets to fall and took 3-24 in all.

Belvedere lost wickets often and only Ashfield with 26 and McCrea with 22 made it out of the teens and there was some lusty hitting at times, but they were all out for 111 in 38.1 overs as Ali Bunce with 2-44 in 11 overs and Paul Short with 2-19 in 6.1 overs spun the home side out with Luke Desave taking 2-19 in 9 overs as his second spell got him rewards.

Wellington had seven overs to face before tea and were a careful 2-0 at the break, so needing 110 in 38 overs to secure a sixth win of the season, but Belvedere claimed the wickets of the Wellington opening pair and pegged the Red and Blacks back; Alex Sparks started to time the ball well off his legs and was part of a Wellington revival that got the score to 47-3 in 21 overs and by this point he had made 29, but he was caught behind trying to drive Cornish who proceeded to take four wickets in his last eight balls of a 12 overs spell that saw him take 5-32 and put Wellington on the rack as they lost seven wickets for nine runs and with it the match by 55 runs. Taylor took two wickets and a run out off of the only delivery that McCrea had to deliver condemned Wellington to an ugly defeat and they need to show resolve against Stogumber at home this weekend.

Paul Short (Capt), Thom Trott, Aks Latifi (Wkt), Luke Desave, Ali Bunce, Robbie Rexworthy, Charlie Davies, Scott Davey, Max Capaldi, Marc Holloway and Alex Sparks.

Depart from Courtland Road Car Park at 12 noon for a 1.45pm start.

Details from Paul Short.

After two disappointing performances against the two teams vying with them for the Somerset League title Wellington bounced back strongly with this five wicket home win over Purnells that sees them 42 points behind Staplegrove who recorded a five wicket win over Wellington’s next opponents Belvedere and 58 behind North Petherton who won at home to Ashbrittle.

Wellington beat Paulton based side Purnells at home for the fifth successive season since they got relegated from the Somerset Division of the WEPL and did it in just 65.5 overs of action on the day as a side with a poor away record added more evidence to that.

Paul Short asked the long distance visitors to Courtland Road to bat first and was rewarded by a battering ram of a bowling performance from Luke Desave and Thom Trott as they dismantled Purnells, making them 34-4 with some excellent pace bowling backed up by some fine catching too – removing danger man Crocker first ball was a pivotal moment as Desave took 6-36 in 12 overs bowled in two spells and Trott 2-44 in 12 overs delivered in one long spell.

Gregory with 47 and Casling with 21 did their best to rally Purnells, but Neil Hendy and Ali Bunce with a wicket each saw them bundled out for 131 in 36 overs and this week the opposing tail had not wagged.

Wellington were soon into their stride as Paul Short and Neil Hendy put on 25 opening wicket runs, but there was always the threat that Jones and his medium pace posed twenty years on from his taking 9-24 at Courtland Road which are the best bowling figures ever recorded against Wellington 1st XI; this time 3-30 in 12 overs was a good effort all the same as Wellington made it to 84-4 at the half way of their innings with Paul Short making 25 and Alex Sparks a classy 39.

Charlie Davies made 16 and this brought Wellington closer to the 132 needed and they swept past the total required with Aks Latifi making 30no with seven sparking fours.

Wellington took 35 points and head to Weston Super Mare to take on relegation threatened Belvedere this weekend.

Paul Short (Capt), Thom Trott, Aks Latifi (Wkt), Luke Desave, Ali Bunce, Neil Hendy, Simon Rudd, Charlie Davies, Alex Sparks, Max Capaldi and Marc Holloway.

Meet at Pavilion at 12.30pm for a 1.45pm start.

Details from Paul Short.

Wellington suffered a carbon copy of their home loss to Staplegrove last weekend at Somerset League leaders North Petherton when they had the home side in deep trouble at 130-8 as their bad run with the bat stretched into a fourth week, but late tail end runs saw the score Wellington required was more than it should have been and it proved too big a hurdle to overcome as Petherton recorded a seventh win in nine matches this season and are now 59 points clear of the Red and Blacks as the season enters its second half.

Wellington asked Petherton to bat first on winning the toss and they found Luke Desave and Thom Trott in pacy, fiery fettle as they ensured that the home side did not get away as Bowditch with 19 and Tottle with 15 did not develop their innings.

Only T.Williams with 42 well made runs and Hucker with 30 really got going for a North Petherton side who had not made a big total for some time; Ali Bunce – playing against his old side – was exemplary with 2-31 in 12 overs of darting off spin and all was going well with Petherton having been reduced to 130-8 with five overs to go, but Knight with 28no hit hard and long to have a part in the fifty runs that Petherton gathered in their last thirty balls to leave Wellington needing 181 to win.

The Wellington innings did pick up from 5-2 through Marc Holloway and Aks Latifi with 28 and 12 respectively, but Petherton were always taking wickets and meaningful stands did not form until late on as Thom Trott with 35 and Ali Bunce with 25 meted out their own lower order potency, but Knight with 4-40, K.Williams with 2-22 and Gibbs with 2-46 saw that Wellington were caught short as had been the case against Staplegrove seven days earlier and lost vital ground in the race to get to the WEPL Somerset Division; North Petherton took 33 points and Wellington 15 with Purnells the visitors to Courtland Road this weekend.

Paul Short (Capt), Thom Trott, Rob Moysey, Aks Latifi (Wkt), Neil Hendy, Max Capaldi, Ali Bunce, Luke Desave, Robbie Rexworthy, Richard Henwood and Marc Holloway.

Contact Paul Short for details.

Wellington find themselves forty points off the Somerset League summit after losing to Staplegrove at home last weekend; this was the first time that the Taunton side had beaten Wellington at 1st XI level since 2006 and it could yet be a big win for them as they occupy second place and hold a 26 point advantage over Wellington as a result of this win.

North Petherton are top and still unbeaten and while their batting did not make it much past 150 for the third week in a row the fact they despatched Purnells for just 49 sees them still set the pace with Wellington travelling to Heathfield Park this weekend for a crucial fixture.

On a pitch that had received a lot of rain the previous day the toss was going to see the side losing it asked to bat and Paul Short asked the Grove to take first knock; Thom Trott and Robbie Rexworthy took the new ball for Wellington and kept prolific Grove captain Dan Sizer in check, he was dropped on his way to 29 as his current purple patch was checked for once, Paul Short caught and bowled his opposite number to make Grove 68-3.

Earlier Trott had made Pantling pad up and be trapped plumb in front and Rexworthy yorked Hodge as Grove made steady progress with wickets in hand, through Bird with 66no and Craggs with 31 they added 87 fifth wicket runs and this saw what could have been no more than a reasonable total become a decent one and the Grove would surely have settled for 181-5 in 45 overs after been sent in.

Paul Short and Rob Moysey bowled well in tandem and Robbie Rexworthy’s direct hit at the bowler’s end from the boundary was a great effort to see the back of Craggs.

Wellington would need 182 to win.

A wicket was lost early, but Alex Sparks – back with Wellington after his time in Manchester – started to time the ball delightfully as he hit 46 and looked on course for a lot more than that, he and Paul Short added 48 for the second wicket before the Wellington skipper was out for 11, caught in the covers, another wicket followed next ball before Sparks and Marc Holloway got the score up towards 100 needed to win, but Sparks was trapped LBW by Brock (2-35 in 12) and another wicket was lost just one run later and at 78-5 Wellington were rocking somewhat, but the ever reliable Rob Moysey and Holloway added 43 sixth wicket runs and this was turning the game once more for Wellington, this stand was ended when Holloway was caught for 30 and was that to be the end of the Wellington effort?

Thom Trott answered this question with a careful knock of 14 as he ran the ball around well in tandem with Moysey who did same and made 39no all told; they had added 36 for the seventh wicket and were not in trouble when disaster struck and saw Trott run out when a call for a single went wrong.

Staplegrove seized the chance and despatched the last three wickets for just three runs to secure a 21 run win and take 34 points back to Taunton.

Wellington perhaps did not play their best ever game, but should have closed this one out; they need to rise to the challenge that next weekend’s match with North Petherton brings – I am sure they will.