WELLINGTON SUNDAY XI 176

TAUNTON ST ANDREWS SUNDAY XI 177-3

WELLINGTON Sunday XI started their shortened 2020 season with the first in series of six now that the recreational game can take place and it was a powerful batting show from the TSA top order which took them to victory by seven wickets with 15 overs or so to spare, writes David Derrick.

Wellington, skippered by Macaulay Campbell, chose to bat first and Oli Beale got away well with 29 in good time as part of an opening stand with Nathan Roberts worth (32).

But when Beale was out Wellington had a bit of a wobble at 45-4 and needed some consolidation – and it came from Jacob Hurry and Sam Whitefield who added 53 fifth wicket runs for the Red and Blacks.

Young keeper/batsman Hurry made a fine 18 as the team score closed in on three figures at the time he was out at 98-5. Another wicket was lost at this score before the telling knock and stand of the Wellington innings was realised by Whitefield and Ollie Hunt, who added 74 for the seventh wicket as Whitefield cracked 92 with eight sixes.

The innings fell away a little thereafter as 172-6 became 176 all out with nearly six overs going unused as Batstone with 4-39 in eight overs was TSA’s most successful bowler.

TSA scored well throughout their innings as Clapp with 34 and Warner with 36 added 78 opening wicket runs and this took the visitors to a good position, although Macaulay Campbell and Tyler Fyfe bowled well first up for Wellington.

Although Nathan Roberts made an inroad and there were further successes for Sam Whitefield and Oli Beale the 68 that Lee hit was a powerful knock and the win for TSA was posted by German and Contreras.