A better start for new skipper Richard Cutts, standing in for Mark Smith, could not have been imagined as Wells fashioned an industrious and morale-boosting 24-run win with Vine failing to reach 161 from their 40 overs.

   The home batting slumped to 14-2 before the well-tried pairing of Cutts (34) and Simon Routh (25) added a watchful 74 by the 25-over-mark to set up the innings. Latterly, Mark Alexander (47) added some classical crashing cover boundaries as he and young Michael Churchill slammed 42 from the last five overs to give the visitors a testing target.

   The reply slipped to 49-4 as Chris Fenwick (3-31) reaped due reward for seven pin-point overs, but Ollie Howick (33) and John Bowden restored some substance to the chase, while Immy Sayeed and Alex Rayner put in notable performances in addition. The turning point for the innings occurred when Sam Stickler's tumbling catch removed Howick, and Rayner was left to fight a lone battle as wickets fell in clutches. 99-7 became 136 all out as Chris Rainger and the miserly Matt Green (3-15) took over, and Wells coasted to a narrow win with 27 balls in hand.

   A well-fought match ended with the spoils going to the home side, but the game was played out in exemplary spirit, and both teams learned much from their first outings of the Summer in unaccustomed warmth for an April Saturday.

   Fielding first, Wells conceded much advantage as they proceeded to miss as many as twelve chances as the home openers plundered the unlucky attack. James Pooley benefitted six times en route to a century, while support came from Tim Eldridge as 133 runs came from just 17 overs.

   The visitors fought back gamely, however, and restricted the second half of the innings to 114 runs while five wickets were taken. Runs came but in less profusion, and a final target of 267 to win represented something of a recovery.

   The reply teetered as the openers perished while 39 runs were posted, and it took disciplined efforts from Harry Florry (31) and Brough Cooper (35) to ward off further inroads. Simon Routh (48) built upon these contributions, again adding important runs with Richard Cutts (37* from 22 balls at the close), and Wells ended their forty overs without being all out but just 27 runs in arrears. The win went to the home side, but again much good practise had been afforded with the bat for both XIs, while the midweek workout looks to have a focus upon groundwork and catching for Wells.

   The coming week sees the XI away to Orpington I, with a CCC Cup game on the Sunday, and displaced League matches on both the Saturday and the BH Monday.

   Winning the toss at Goddington Dene, TWCC batted first, and posted a par score of 206-7 in their 40 overs, most of the batsmen taking useful practise.

   A strangely laboured start was repaired by Sam Stickler (52) with assistance down the list, and the score topped the one-hundred mark after 25 overs. Captain Richard Cutts, Brough Cooper and Mark Alexander all made speedy runs, but a pedigree not out 37 from 28 balls by Theo Burley took the eye. The final score set a useful target, which the visiting attack had to restrict.

   The reply slipped to 48-3, and the runrate was also sagging; hereabouts, David Robinson anchored the chase, although the introduction of spin looked to be decisive. Unfortunately, one vital over saw two catches and a run-out missed, and Paul Schmidt (53 off 42 balls) took the game away with Robinson, who masterminded the win with an unbeaten 65. The final hundred came in fifteen overs for the loss of just two more wickets, and a great chance had been spurned. The home XI thereby completed a 'double' for OCC over TWCC on the day, an event overshadowed only by the Rugby diversions later in the afternoon.

   Less than 55 overs play was possible as the rains swept over Kent, putting paid to all five encounters in the KL Premier Division.

   In the game at The Nevill, Chris Lawrence hit magnificent form, bagging his first five-wicket haul since 2003 at this level. The Gore Court innings slid to 42-5 as Lawrence continually broke through, but the batsmen were spared further humiliation as the rain made the ball difficult to grip, and they batted through the allocated 53 overs without further loss. Just four balls later, the game was called off.

   The home side won the toss and asked Wells to bat first, a decision which the weather was later to compromise somewhat. The Bickley attack strove manfully to derive due reward, but the Wells batsmen showed enormous resolve, and an attritional battle was the outcome for long periods.

   The opening phase went decisively to the home bowlers as Tunbridge Wells faltered to 39-3, but the returning Alex Williams (60) now partnered his captain Mark Smith as 107 runs were ground out through 27 overs of sedulous effort before another wicket fell. Each player necessarily spent much time in defence, and the jockeying for dominion was tilting towards the visitors after the rains had cost a twenty-minute break. The last thirteen overs were devoted to acceleration, and 67 runs were struck up for the loss of two further wickets, Chris Williams emerging not out on 29 as the overs ran out. Smith made a true captain's contribution of 72 out of 132 with 8 fours in 120 minutes as Wells reached 213-6.

   The home reply was rocked as Wells snapped up three wickets in the first 28 balls for just eight runs. The wicket was tricky and the batsmanship diffident, but the eclipse was as unexpected as it was extreme. The bowlers continued to exercise complete control until the score reached 61-6, when skipper Chris Coulson found defiant support in number eight Phil Browning. These two put up 52 for the seventh partnership in fourteen overs, before Oli Priestman (2-27) removed Browning, and, with the tail attempting to linger, Coulson moved to a fighting half-century - his third in a row from the TW attack - having batted for 112 balls in 158 minutes. The end came as Smith added to his laurels with 3-40, to compliment his strike bowlers Chris Lawrence (2-22) and Chris Rainger (2-21), the other wicket falling to a run-out from Richard Cutts.

   A splendid and merited win by 70 runs thus came to Wells, who now head the Premier Division Table, having taken a bat-first 20 points from the encounter, with a home match against Hartley slated for the upcoming weekend.

   Wells won a useful toss in the sudden Summer heat and had no hesitation in asking Hartley to field in the fierce sunshine. However, despite the early order all making a start, domination of the visiting attack took a long time to occur, resulting in a strangely underattaining total by the time that the innings concluded.

   Evert Bekker and Alex Williams set the innings in motion with a 16-over 44, when the fall of the latter brought Leighton Morgan to the crease for his first knock in the KL since 2002. Playing a cultured and accomplished hand, Morgan saw the score rise to 98-2, then 128-3 before being adjudged lbw. He gathered 46 runs (4 fours) in this time, smartly rotating the strike, but, owing to the untimely fall of wickets, never able to afford to raise the tempo much beyond three-per-over. At this stage, the Hartley bowlers were well pleased with their work as only fourteen overs remained for the innings to establish true content, although skipper Mark Smith now played one of his trademark vignettes. Striking 52 runs in 62 balls, Smith gave the final stages some much-needed urgency, gaining excellent support from Richard Cutts as the seventh wicket added fifty runs in eight overs, each man smiting an enormous six as they provided some needful acceleration. The attack had the last say even so, and a fourth batting point remained tantalisingly beyond reach as the innings came to a close on 218-8. James Cramp (3-50) was the pick of the bowlers, for whom Min Patel was outstandingly miserly, 42 of the 55 overs sent down coming from spinners. Of these, Charlie Hemphrey alone went for more than four-per-over, while the speedsters were barely employed throughout. 

   The Hartley innings suffered two early setbacks, which to some extent were mitigated by the early assault launched by opener Patel upon the unfortunate home bowlers. Patel crashed six fours in 36 out of 53-2 before Hemphrey settled in with him to add 82 for the third wicket in seventeen overs, a partnership which went some way towards achieving the eventual outcome. Patel finally departed for a belligerent 73 when a lightning stumping by Simon Routh beat his attempt to get back against Sam Stickler's swerve, while at the other end a badly-missed run-out was followed by a dropped caught-and-bowled which showed the suffering of the Wells groundwork in the intensity of the struggle. Nonetheless, Smith now grabbed two wickets, the second (Hemphrey) bringing up his Premier Double of 100 wickets to go with the 1000-plus runs already reached, and any further breakthrough would have made a critical difference. James Thompson now chanced his arm to prevent any further Wells inroads, on the way to a well-made not out 56, while Patrick Underwood lent support as the final 82 runs were hauled in from 16 overs. Thompson reached the fence ten times as the target came into view, and Hartley took 16 points from the six-wicket win.

   Wells still occupy fourth spot in the Premier table, but will have been disappointed not to have played at their best levels in so important a clash. The coming Saturday sees the side away to St.Lawrence in Canterbury, followed by away games at Bromley during County Week, then to Bexley, and finally to The Mote for 19 June to end the Kent 'Tour'.

   On a day when rain always threatened, and the light never settled, the two sides managed to play out almost 105 overs of cricket, despite finishing in Stygian gloom with the home batsmen passing a demanding target total on a remarkably good track.

   The Wells innings was given a lively start as Sam Stickler (39) and Leighton Morgan (41) saw the score up to 101-2 after 19 overs, and this was just the prelude to a majestic effort from Oli Priestman, who returned to form with a vengeance. Mark Smith (42) shared a fourth partnership of 90 with Priestman, which gave rise to the idea that 300-plus was possible upon such a surface, although this hope was dashed as the rains brought play to a halt at 239-5 after 47 overs. Meanwhile, Priestman neglected no opportunity to flay the home attack as he reached his fifty from 51 balls, with four fours and one six.

After the rain-break, curious to relate, Wells lost their impetus, and the expected acceleration fizzled out as four wickets were lost while the total was advanced by just 39 runs. Nonetheless, it was a notable achievement to reach 278-8, and the question now remained as to whether the elements would allow the game to reach a conclusion. Priestman was finally removed for a 79-ball 77, and the ninth pair lashed a useful 27 from the last four overs, Simon Routh, in his 387th First Team appearance, notching a crisp not out 15.

   St Lawrence quickly lost the dynamic Dominic Chambers and his opening partner as the score slid to 35-2, and the prolific Paul Dixey was removed at 94, after twentyfour overs, to give the visitors the advantage. Smith now did everything to complete as many overs as possible since the conditions were never likely to improve, and St Lawrence were faced with an opportunity that they gratefully seized. Matt Lincoln and skipper Lewis Jenkins became associated in putting up a match-changing 127 for the fourth wicket, which allowed the prospect of victory to appear for the first time. Lincoln looked anything but permanent for the first part of his knock, but thereafter gave a pedigree display, while Jenkins shepherded him through this vital passage of play as they began to emerge as potential winners. Lincoln at length reached a maiden Premier hundred, out of 186 runs made while he was at the wicket, before Priestman had him caught-and-bowled at 221, yet by then, the complexion of the game had changed. Great credit fell to the Wells bowlers and fielders, as, in fading light, they gamely stuck to their plan, but the equation had narrowed, and the home batsmen were guided home by their captain with some three overs, and five wickets, to spare with the clock showing 20.30 hours. Jenkins came away with an undefeated 84 (ten fours and one six), and his side pocketed 16 points to send them rocketing up the table. Wells, despite their efforts, took six points from the encounter, and dropped a place to fifth.

   The coming weekend sees the XI journey to Bromley, whose own season has been remarkably lack-lustre so far, but with top and bottom of the League separated by just 26 points, any kind of a win acquires importance.

   The anticipated tussle between two of the 2009 top three in fact petered out into a dismally heavy defeat for Wells, who failed even to reach one hundred of the 278 runs eventually set.

   Plaistow Lane was hot and humid, and the visitors won the toss, and elected to chase the home target. Bromley were initially fed some indifferent fare, and, despite losing Robert Ferley at 29, still reached 50 from 52 balls with six fours and a rich sprinkling of extras. The attack now got to grips with the situation, and reduced the home innings to 59-4, Chris Rainger snapping up 3-21 from 8 overs, and the prospect of an under-par chase briefly loomed. Paul Harrison (79) and Kiwi Chris Harris (59) now embarked upon a vital partnership of 115 for the fifth wicket that transformed the pattern of the match, and allowed Bromley to capitalise in the final 13 overs. Harrison guided the progress skilfully in the final phase, and the last four overs brought 45 rapidly-garnered runs as Grant Sheen and Nicky Bluett lay about them, the Wells attack taking some unaccustomed hammer. Simon Routh distinguished himself behind the stumps with three catches and two dazzling stumpings down the legside, but otherwise the omens were bleak for the visiting side.

   The reply was blown away by Ed Giddins, who shaped the ball both ways at a gentle medium-fast pace, while scarcely putting down a poor delivery. Ricaldo Anderson (3-20) provided an ideal foil at the other end, and Wells were skittled in under 24 overs for 67, just two partnerships of 18 lifting the procession above mediocrity. Oli Priestman (23) and Chris Williams (19) alone reached double figures, and only two other batsmen managed boundary hits aside from these two. There was a dull reminder of the 2008 collapses about the innings, but nothing should take away from Giddins' remarkable effort, in which he grabbed 6-15 from all but eight overs.

   Wells were hastened to a merciless defeat by 210 runs, extricating just three points from the carnage, and slid down the table to seventh spot, with tough games ahead against Bexley and The Mote yet to come.

   Wells won the toss and immediately took first knock at Manor Way, but, faced by a determined four-pronged pace attack that seldom went astray, failed to make headway as minimal movement found tentative defences wanting. Several of the top six made double figures, and yet were induced into error, George Wells (5-34) being especially successful.

   The innings was in disarray at 69-6 after 22 overs, and, although already heading their effort of the previous week, severe doubt existed as to whether or not the side would bat out the overs. Richard Cutts (36) and Chris Williams (63) now stayed together for fourteen overs to add a defiant 75 runs for the seventh wicket, which gave rise to hopes of a respectable scoreline, which, however, remained unfulfilled after Cutts departed at 144 to the spin of Adam Riley, and Williams, on 36 at the time, was left to notch a maiden Premier half-century from 61 balls as he tried in vain to rally the tail. Williams became one of the youngest TW men to reach a fifty at this level, being just 17 years and 234 days upon reaching his landmark. Interestingly, brother Alex was 17 and 148 days in 2008 when he reached 51 against Sandwich Town, and it must be a rare double for two such youthful brothers to attain the feat. The innings was swiftly wrapped up at 173, and ten overs remained unused for the home batsmen to add on in their reply.

   The Bexley openers gradually made their pathway safe, as 44 runs came from 96 balls before skipper Mark Smith broke through. Stephen Richards (53) set out to see his side home, and his obdurate concentration and single-minded purpose carried the innings past some wavering moments which saw Wells snap up three wickets as the score reached 93 from 32 overs. Progress was slow, and the tussle was intense, Richards finally falling at 129, quickly followed by the home number six, as Oli Priestman (2-38) and Chris Rainger (1-29) continually posed a threat. George Wells was unfazed, however, adding to his all-rounder status with a clinical not out 40 to clinch the game in company with a rapid undefeated 21 from Gavin Pointer, which saw the final 38 runs crashed from five overs to reel in the points.

   How much that initial collapse had cost the T/Wells side could be put into perspective by subsequent events, but conjecture will not alter anything, and the XI have it all in their own hands to rectify. Nestling just one place above the dropzone, with only three points from the encounter, should be enough to galvanise the effort to improve and move out of the lower reaches of the Division.

   Wells' flagship XI travelled to The Mote, where they lost the toss and were asked to bat first on a rain-affected afternoon. Altogether, 44 minutes were lost to interruptions, whilst tea was taken during a second spell of inclement weather.

   The visitors' opening batsmen went through 32 overs before the attack finally made a breakthrough, and a marvellous platform was created as 138 runs were posted in that time. Leighton Morgan and Gregor Paterson took just over half of the allocation as they put up the best opening partnership for TWCC for several years, Morgan moving to a maiden fifty for TWCC from 49 balls with eleven fours, and eventually notching 86 with three more boundaries in 103 minutes. It was a surprise when he was out, and Paterson was on the verge of his first Premier 50 at the time, with 49 and six fours. The home bowlers now swept away three middle order batsmen at almost no cost while Paterson moved past his half-century, going on to make 72 in all with 7 fours from 136 balls. Glen Aukett enjoyed a spell of 3-11 at this point, and Tom Parsons later collected 4-45 in all, despite both being otherwise wicketless at some expense. The uneven nature of the Wells innings persisted as skipper Mark Smith blasted a trademark 35-ball 53, with seven fours and one six, Sam Stickler (15) assisting as 54 came for the seventh wicket, but the tail fell away as Tom Harvey grabbed a brace of wickets, and the target was set at 258 with three balls unused. For the first occasion since 1999, TW had three individual half-centuries in an innings, while the remaining batsmen either perished in a stampede for quick runs or else failed to settle in after the epic opening stand.

   The gloomy conditions prevailed after tea as the last moments of the Wells innings were enacted, and The Mote set off soon after to chase the total set, while Wells, with a re-arranged attack, began their bid to snatch a 20-pointer. Wickets fell steadily as the visiting bowlers did enough to upset the batsmen, and the skipper rang the changes to gain full effect. 117-6 was the result after 40 overs, and the question really became whether the Mote late order could withstand the final overs. Options were continually tried, but only Chris Williams (2-15) had any success in the final phase, with Smith (2-39) and Fred Florry (2-38) bowled out, and the remainder unable to dislodge the last two batsmen. Chris Back (38*) ensured that his side averted full defeat, with an 82-ball rearguard, while James Hodgson (45) alone of the early Mote batsmen, stood firm for any time, batting out for 91 balls with five fours.

   Thus Wells came to obtain a winning draw, securing 13 points in all, but nonetheless slid into the relegation places as Sevenoaks Vine took a last-ball win to draw ahead. This was a savage irony after the massive improvement shown throughout, but can be remedied with more of the same in the next three matches, all of which carry an extra dimension owing to the closeness of the table positions. The three matches to settle these issues will be home to Lordswood, followed by visits to The Vine and Gore Court. As stated already, the side have it all in their own power to take the best from these games.

  The anticipated contest between these two predominantly young sides became a soul-searching anticlimax for the home side, who contrived in short order to crash to 66-7 in just 22 overs, on a track that was somehow foreign to their efforts to engage in expansive strokeplay. One could see what several were trying to do, but their comfort on the home surface was missing, while Lordswood, in particular Matt Greenwood (5-38), revealed a greater technical adaptability in the early exchanges. One suspects that the new TWCC Nets will be used greatly over the coming few days. And once again it was a collective collapse, although the tail did wag all too briefly, with Theo Burley showing that batting was perfectly possible by keeping things straightforward. Fred Florry joined in as 24 runs came for the eighth wicket, and Chris Lawrence stayed awhile for the last stand with Burley, which put up the innings' best partnership of 33 before a repeat of the number eleven's chip over mid-on went this time straight to the catcher.

   The reply was curiously solemn and careful, and, indeed, a wicket soon fell. Mark Smith and Lawrence gave it all that they had in the opening overs, several chances being created, but not a single one was held, while the score struggled up to 19-1. All told, Wells missed, or failed to get a hand on, five catches in the slips cordon or behind the wicket, and, therein disappeared their one chance of retribution. Try as they might, the home attack was blunted, and, gradually, Lordswood drew away, with Alan Pattenden anchoring the chase with an obdurate 91-ball not out 30. Some glitter was added firstly from Lyndon Lockhart (36 from 55 balls with 5 fours), and then, best of all, the 28-ball undefeated 52 (10 fours and one six) from Chris Piesley that secured the win with a staggering 41 overs unused.

   Wells were defeated inside 69 overs, and fell away so severely that they netted no points at all from the game. Owing to the negligible impact to nearby Clubs from other results, the side remain one place off the bottom of the table, with a major tussle at Sevenoaks upcoming on 3 July. Much may be decided in this meeting of two troubled sides unless the weather intervenes.

   Wells won the toss at The Vine and chose to field in the afternoon heat, and, to a large extent they controlled the game early on. 93-3 from twenty overs gave little to either XI, but, at the 35-over juncture, The Vine stood in danger of collapse at 150-5.

   Luke Blackaby was undefeated on 31, and skipper Alex Rayner joined him for a crucial phase in the game. Both were removed by the time the score had reached 226, but the acceleration had begun, and was to effectively take the match out of Wells' range. Blackaby had perished for a gallant 71 (with 10 fours from 82 balls), while his captain added a 27-ball 24, and the stage was set for a tour de force from Lorne Burns which raised the score to 283-9 with the last eight overs going for 57 runs. Burns flayed an unbeaten 54 from 45 balls, smiting four fours and a six, and the visiting attack was broken in the sweltering temperatures. Chris Rainger (5-69) returned his best KL figures against his former Club, but his last three overs went for thirty runs in the onslaught although he did capture two wickets in that spell. Chris Lawrence also suffered late indignities, and came in with 2-80 from his 15 overs, but the groundwork was back to par, with Simon Routh netting four catches and a stumping. 

   The chase was quickly in trouble as James Day (3-48) plucked out two of the three who fell en route to 61 from 12 overs. Alex Williams (38) and Evert Bekker (29) pulled the game round from the almost reckless pace hitherto adopted, but the home attack was in its pomp, John Bowden and Blackaby doing enough to chip away at the middle batting just as a platform was being established. 152-6 from 36 meant that more than a run-a-ball was required for the win, but, although some dramatic strokeplay ensued, wickets continued to go down, and the target shrank away as the lifeblood ebbed. Burns came into the attack to grab a late brace of wickets, but even then the draw was still a major option as Lawrence and Routh were taking the score from 162 to 213. The tail indeed put in a strong performance, Lawrence making a not out 32 from 19 balls, a personal KL best. Nonetheless, The Vine strolled in the end to a 20-point win, having almost ten overs to spare when the final wicket was taken, and the must-win game for Wells ended with the worst possible outcome despite the many improvements and a 70-run differential.

   It must be remembered that the TW XI were still awaiting the return of their full bowling attack, while the batting - ostensibly the stronger suit - required one or two final tweaks to attain the optimum balance. However, the number of lower table encounters is steadily diminishing, and , with Win/Lose commencing on 10 July, the away meeting against Gore Court takes on sharp contours.

   Wells journeyed to The Grove at Sittingbourne, knowing that only an all-out win was of any use to them, with the words of their skipper ringing in their ears from the pep talk at The Nevill before they left. It was do-or-die stuff, inspire or expire, depending upon the outcome, or the hearer.

   Such a wicket as Gore Court's would be best-used first for batting, and Wells won a vital toss, and sent out their openers. With a power-play in mind, Leighton Morgan was joined by Chris Williams, and the players in the team who have not now opened the innings can be numbered on one hand.

   Morgan was in imperious touch, and outscored his first four partners by a considerable margin as the score moved to 128-4 from 24 overs, his share at that juncture being 74 with ten fours, while his partners had collectively totalled just 33. The captain now joined his star player, and the two rampaged along as 108 runs came for the fifth partnership in sixteen overs, Mark Smith collecting 25 in that time. Morgan moved to a dazzlingly competent 150 shortly after, and showed no sign of tiring as he and Evert Bekker ran up a quickfire 37 when suddenly the great cornerstone innings was ended at 273 with seven overs remaining. Batting for 171 minutes and striking 27 fours in that time, Morgan made the second-best score for Wells in the Premier Division with a noble and selfless 171, which went a considerable way towards setting up the match. No praise could be too high for this wonderful effort, both timely and life-giving to the needs of his side.

   Following this, Bekker and Richard Cutts crashed 44 in 28 balls to send the score racing past the 300, and the tail, led by Fred Florry, went on to post a new record Premier one-day total for Wells with 333 coming up as the overs ran out.

Now came the second phase, with Wells having to prevent the home batsmen from challenging the target set. The skipper rang the changes, while his opposite number took root to defy the long hoped-for inevitable. The score went to 117-2 from 30 overs when Florry removed the dangerous Paul Muchall for 1, and Karl Pearson, then undefeated on 44, stood on his own between the Wells attack and the win. Aaron Glass alone gave support before Williams, C., was brought into the attack, and his 'golden arm' broke the back of the innings in just 6.5 overs. Ending the torment of Pearson for 67, after 159 minutes of gritty opposition, caught by the ever-vigilant Simon Routh, Williams grabbed 4-24 to end up with a maiden five-wicket haul (5-38), with smart support in the infield, while Gregor Paterson and Oli Priestman completed the obsequies as Gore Court went to 215 all out and defeat by 118 runs.

   Routh ended the match with an unbroken no-byes tally through just over two matches of 501 runs scored, his own records in this direction being phenomenal, adding a further two catches to his prolific haul since 1980, while overall the Wells performance was entirely satisfactory in that the XI rose out of the relegation places by just five points. Below them are their opponents for VPs day next Saturday, Bickley Park, and The Nevill will be the scene for yet another pivotal match as the Wells flagship XI fights once more to save its status.

   Winning the toss and batting, Wells were set at once onto the back foot as Warren Lee and Barry Hooper removed the openers, including the vital wicket of Leighton Morgan, for just five runs, leaving the home batsmen to rebuild at whatever pace they could manage.

   Gregor Paterson and Alex Williams slowly moved the score onto 46 before the former was removed by Lee, and Oli Priestman took his place. Runs came a little more easily, but Bickley never allowed any liberties, permitting long singles but effectively cutting out boundary hits in a re-run of the 2009 strangulation, this time conducted by James Lincoln and Phil Browning, with assistance from the third string. 70 runs had been added in eighteen overs when Priestman hit back a rank full-toss to the bowler, bringing skipper Mark Smith to the wicket and heralding a serious acceleration as 71 runs were smashed from the next eleven overs. This partnership took the total to 187 when Williams fell just nine short of his maiden Premier century, but the effort had spanned forty overs, and just six remained to make the target remotely challenging. Smith was joined now by Evert Bekker, and the runrate soared as both clattered the bowling to all parts as 60 runs were added, and a final score of 249-6 was achieved. The unused batting was a poignant luxury, reminiscent of the 2009 Hartley match at the Nevill, while overs 21-36 brought just 55 runs, and, notwithstanding the late heroics, it was felt that the ask was some 40 runs short.

   The track had been under water on the Wednesday and Thursday of the week, as overnight storms brought much-needed rain, and the hope had to be that the surface would help the home attack. An early wicket was divertingly deceptive, for soon Lincoln and Alex Darroch steadied the chase, and then inexorably propelled the score past the two-hundred mark in a memorable partnership of match-shaping proportions. Lincoln enjoyed two half-chances to the keeper, standing up, the first from Fred Florry's opening over with the recovery in its infancy, but these aside, there was little encouragement for the home XI as the rotating attack served up wayward line and length in a smorgasbord of perplexing laxity. Smith and Florry apart, the overs went for six apiece, and Lincoln, with 15 fours and one six, was punishing yet certain, and Darroch was wholly responsible while putting away 13 boundaries. Some streaky blows into third man came as landfall approached, and first Lincoln, after 137 minutes, then Darroch, after 151 minutes, reached three figures, when, surprisingly, Paterson removed the latter to end a stand worth 228. Browning's sole ball realised a maximum, and Lincoln purred to yet another four, and the bat-second win was completed inside the distance, with 7.1 overs in hand, and a staggering eight wickets unused.

   Wells need to radically regroup now, especially as they face five more home games out of seven, with a notably unhappy record at Headquarters over the years. The coming Saturday is on the postage-stamp ground at Hartley, where powerplays might have some significance, but the need is for big points, allied to negligible advances from the nearby sides. So, with Hartley, St Lawrence and Bromley - all recent KL Winners - to come, the immediate run-in can have no sharper contours.

   The toss was won by Hartley who had no hesitation and batted first, yet it was the Wells attack which took the early honours. James Hockley was removed by Chris Rainger (who has a knack of removing the star players) at 35, while Mark Smith took out Scott Mckechnie and Sam Billings as the score rose to 89-3 from 21 overs.

   Charlie Hemphrey now dropped anchor while neglecting no opportunity to fire the ball outside of the tiny ground, and, with Rizwan Malik soon going onto the offensive, there followed a partnership that added 199 for the fourth wicket and transcended the play up to that point. The wheels began to fall off for some of the visiting bowlers, and the two home players tucked in with relish during their 26-over association, although Smith and Fred Florry gave of their utmost despite the odd maximum appearing in their figures. Malik continued to blaze away until Oli Priestman threw him out at 288, while Smith removed James Thompson for no score, and this left the sole point of interest being whether Hemphrey (not out 88) would reach three figures from the remaining fifteen deliveries. Alas, this was not to be, although the tally reached 306-6 at the close, Smith emerging most creditably with 3-67 from his stint. Hemphrey's masterful innings spanned 36 overs and included six fours and three sixes whereas the destructive Malik blasted thirteen fours and three sixes in his 103 from just 83 balls. Simon Routh's no-byes total from four matches ended at 822 runs when a boundary ball eluded him midway through the innings.

   The chase was immediately rattled when Thompson's opening over bagged two scalps without troubling the scorer, whereupon Leighton Morgan and Alex Williams counter-attacked with comforting vigour and acumen to add 94 for the third wicket in 18 overs, and conjure up visions of a wonderful recovery. No sooner had the thought arisen than a wicket fell, Williams on 51 missing a straight one from veteran Darrell Carter, while next the skipper was adjudged lbw, and the door was kicked open as Hartley grabbed five wickets in all as just 33 runs came, including the second 50-man Morgan. Twenty-two overs remained to get 172 runs, a very tall order, and yet Wells now resisted both boldly and profitably to add 99 runs from the residual allocation as Priestman (36) and Florry (38) rallied the late order in which Rainger and Chris Fenwick, both on recall, also flourished. In the end, Hockley (3-17) wrapped up the tail, yet not before they had shown a noble and commendable zeal, and no little skill, in defying the triumphal home attack for fully nineteen overs.

   Defeat by 72 runs was the outcome, neither needed nor wanted, yet the side showed real signs of re-grouping in several phases of the match. The bottom line however stays the same, in that survival can only be achieved by way of winning, and that will require the combined talents of the chosen XI in every match now to the end of the campaign. 

   Wells entertained joint League Leaders St Lawrence as the middle team of a trio who have all won the KL Championship Pennant in the past four years, and a fascinating contest unfolded from the heavy drizzle and lugubrious hazy greyness that greeted visitors in the morning.

   The Umpires decreed that a full day's play would start at 12.30, and in no time at all the sunshine broke through and the wicket and outfield dried rapidly. The track played well throughout the match, but Wells lost the toss and were asked to bat first, while the amazing 2010 bat-second record of the visitors immediately came to the forefront of the mind as the openers set out to do battle.

   Ben Kemp removed Leighton Morgan in the very first over, but U18 debutant Tom Elliott was joined by number three Alex Williams and a recovery was put in place that took the score up to 81 in eighteen overs before the latter perished for a comfortable 41 (five fours from 66 balls). Elliott, static at the non-striker's end on 25 for 24 balls during the first Power Play, when just 18 runs came from the 30 balls, had added 71 with Williams, and then watched as his captain came and went, before adding 62 for the fourth wicket with Oli Priestman (37) from 15 overs. During this stand, Elliott had reached a maiden Premier fifty from 78 balls in 126 minutes, but his vigil was surprisingly ended with a mis-hit at 163 with just ten overs remaining. The Wells innings had meandered along at a somnolent four-per-over, occasionally flickering up to fives, marked by frequent long singles to long-on or long-off, when Priestman lost his wicket to the last ball of the 42nd over at 172.

   Suddenly, an astonishing tour de force from Will Stickler lit up and electrified the hitherto sleepy contest, and the shackles were well and truly broken. Evert Bekker started off the final phase, which had perforce to include a second Power Play, with a nineteen-ball 35 (two fours and a six), while Stickler unleashed a pedigree savagery that produced 59 from 32 balls, the final 55 from just 25. Twenty-one runs came from the 46th over, and Stickler personally struck seven fours and a final-ball six in this period, adding a staggering 73 with Bekker in just seven overs. The final six balls went for 18 as Stickler reached his fifty in 39 minutes, many of which were taken up in retrieving the ball from nether parts of the outfield. The last-ball maximum drove the total up to the giddy heights of 263-6, and such a chase on The Nevill was always going to be interesting, the more so as the St Lawrence skipper, Matt Lincoln, was unable to bat following a fielding accident in which he had tried to stop a ferocious Stickler blockbuster and had broken his hand.

   There was no hint of the drama yet to unfold as the reply took advantage of some dreadfully loose Wells bowling to rack up 47 from eight overs. Skipper Mark Smith was forced early on to use himself and Fred Florry to stem the tide, and, in this aim, he was highly successful, although Dominic Chambers and Paul Dixey gave no semblance of a chance as they embarked upon what had to be a match-winning partnership. For the next 31 overs, Wells rotated the bowling, but were unable to disturb the equanimity of the second pairing, who proceeded at an advancing tempo to post 147 for the stand before Dixey, on 90, whose profitable areas had been blocked off, attempted a scoop-hoist over the 'keeper and was bowled. Abruptly, the burden shifted onto Chambers, and Wells had an end to work upon. Smith's leadership was now acutely perfect, and he himself snapped up, in short order, two catches, a wicket and a run-out as the equation narrowed. St Lawrence went from needing 45 from seven with eight wickets in hand to requiring 21 from 15 balls with four wickets left, and Chambers had been caught at 221, another dismissed in the 90s with his favourite shots closed off.

   Ben Easter hit a four first ball, but became Bekker's third victim an over later, and Alistair Neale also found the fence, but Chris Fenwick sent down the 50th over for only three runs of the required ten, and St Lawrence ended up seven short with the contest still open until the penultimate ball went for just a single.

   Thus a wonderfully engrossing game, played throughout in the finest spirit, ended narrowly in the home side's favour, and a vital Premier lifeline appeared at the moment of its greatest need for them. The VPs day had been celebrated two weeks too soon for the liking of the spectators, whose appetites had been whetted by the last-ball 2009 thriller against Bexley : but this match was exceptional in many ways, for it showed cricket to be the winner, while the memory will always recall the sterling deeds of Stickler, Bekker and Smith, while never forgetting the epic adventures of Chambers and Dixey during the long chase.

   Overcast conditions, with drizzle in the air, dominated the morning at The Nevill, and indeed were to remain throughout the day as one of the more momentous encounters of 2010 unfolded on a wicket that always gave something to the bowlers. Such was the dampness and patchy rain that the start was delayed to 13.31 with a consequent reduction in play to 40 overs per side.

   Wells won the toss and asked The Mote to take first knock, and soon it became clear that the home attack was getting some lateral movement as the score toppled to 36-4 from the initial eleven overs. Chris Fenwick, assisted by a lightning stumping from veteran Simon Routh, had 2-21 at this point and Chris Lawrence 1-11, while captain Mark Smith had persuaded opposing skipper Tom Harvey to sky the ball high to Evert Bekker at gully in his opening over. Dan Thirkell (21) and Danny Rowe (55) slowly built a recovery that was cruelly snuffed out in a disastrous calling misunderstanding, while an all-too-brief flourish from Caspian Paget added a further 20 runs from three overs. Nonetheless, 23 overs in, the total stood unhealthily at 84-6. Rowe now battled grittily in partnership with seasoned campaigner Glen Aukett (14) to put together 53 for the seventh partnership, the early pressure somewhat relaxing as the batsmen fought to distance themselves from the poor start. Hereabouts, Rowe moved to an heroic half-century from 64 balls, containing five fours and two sixes, but Fenwick rearranged his stumps at 137 on his way to a maiden Premier five-wicket haul that did much to complete the visitor's innings some three overs early at 149. Fenwick came away with 5-28 (three clean-bowled) in by far his best analysis at this level, and the home batsmen, knowing the enormous importance of the coming chase, set out to make 150 for the win.

   Kenny George and Tom Parsons set the Mote off on a wild session that saw the first four Wells batsmen back in the pavilion as the score crashed grievously to 12-4 from eight overs. The asking rate of four-per-over was no longer a consideration as the match, and indeed the TW Premier survival, teetered on the very brink of extinction.

   Skipper Smith now took the battle to the visiting attack in company with Oli Priestman, and, slowly but ever-reassuringly, these two put the dreadful start behind them. The stand held for twenty overs and an epic eighty runs before the commanding effort from Smith (35) was ended, and the runrate was also in an upward arc as the partnership blossomed. Will Stickler, accustomed to various Wells emergencies, buckled down to continue the lifesaving resuscitation despite losing Priestman at 119, to an attempted maximum at deep mid-wicket, for an invaluable 47. Six overs remained to haul in a further 31 runs as Routh, in his 396th First Team game, joined Stickler. A boundary from the 'keeper eased the tension, then a trio of fours from Stickler came, and finally the last over arrived with four needed for the win. Stickler hit the winning runs from the third ball, and a stirringly sensational match brought the spoils to Wells with little to spare in all senses. News from elsewhere showed that Lordswood had stayed ahead in the relegation tussle by a single point, adding poignancy to the upcoming encounter on 28 August at Martin Grove.

   The contest to remain a Premier Club goes into the final stages for Wells now, with two key games to be played out before the issues are settled.

   The rains which had cascaded over Medway in midweek had left the ground very wet, but the early sunshine was a boon, and the Umpires decreed that a start could be made at 13.27 in a match reduced thus to 40 overs per side. Wells lost a vital toss and were asked to bat first on the drying surface.

   Kevin Masters quickly removed Leighton Morgan, played-on, at 15 after seven overs, and Alex Williams was undone at 42, yet a patient and skilful effort from Tom Elliott (34 from 75 balls) accompanied the forceful Evert Bekker (42 from 48 balls with 5 fours) in seeing the score along to 94-3 as 52 runs came from nine good overs for Wells for the third wicket. Bekker soon fell victim to his nemesis, the run-out, but skipper Mark Smith (35 from 37 balls) and the effervescent Will Stickler (45 from 29 balls) really turned the screw in adding a vibrant and fearsome 65 in a mere 51 balls, which brought a blazing fusillade of hitting that included five fours and three sixes.

   Stickler lashed the last two balls of the innings for 6 and 4, an almost commonplace occurence in the past few weeks, and Lordswood were left to make 189 for victory at more than four-per-over. For the visitors, defeat would mean the end of a noble and courageous fightback.

   Morgan snapped up a slipcatch from Chris Fenwick to give that bowler 2-6 from four overs as the reply sank to 11-2 and, just as dramatically, Chris Lawrence and Mark Smith grabbed a victim each to send the score dipping to 37-4 with 16 overs used up. The sheer exuberance of the collective Wells team effort now told, but first came the home riposte. Chris Piesley, held back after a long season, and Lyndon Lockhart now gave their all to resurrect the home chase, and, indeed, added a dynamic and pulsating 63 from 78 balls to keep the equation alive and the task in sight. Lockhart took the lead role, collecting 6 fours, while his partner added three fours, but with the score at 100, disaster struck. Lawrence, in his return spell, got one through Piesley's guard, and then snapped up Matt Greenwood four balls later for no score, while Williams, belatedly plying some seam-up confusion, had Lockhart lbw. This triple strike effectively sealed the contest, but danger remained. Shaun Piesley and John Williams prospered awhile, and more boundaries were rattled up, until finally Fred Florry bowled the former, soon followed by Richard Cutts catching the latter, and it fell to Fenwick to wrap up the win by removing Masters at 138.

   Only seconds after the final wicket was taken, the darkening skies broke and heavy rain fell. Wells had had just exactly enough time to complete their victory, and took the 18 points to move out of the dropzone for the first time since 19 June. Of the forty available overs, four remained unused. Wells now need to take five points from the final game against Sevenoaks Vine to ensure Premier survival, to cap one of the most extraordinarily successful climb-backs in the short history of the top Division.

   A warm late-summer day at The Nevill saw Sevenoaks win the toss and bat, while a nigh-perfect surface was the key to a dominant display by the youthful visiting batsmen. Fabian Cowdrey notched a maiden KL century, a great effort from a 17-year-old, yet this was outshone, however, by a vintage display from Michael Barber, whose delightful boundary strokes - especially four sixes - enriched a second century built during a long partnership that realised 172 runs, being especially marked by good, quick running.

   The innings opened uncertainly, and there were some perilously close shouts before the batsmen settled down on a benign wicket upon which all that was required was to get forward. Mark Smith, in his farewell appearance for TW, removed Chris Hammond at 37, but the enduring second stand between Cowdrey and Barber now occupied centre stage for all but four of the allocated overs, and ensured that Vine achieved the requisite safety of four points while Wells, on the same quest, were only able to reel in one of their four from the bowling, the tally ending on 253-4 with Barber clipping two immaculate sixes in the final over to bring his score to an exquisite undefeated 112.

   The reply was given a splendid start as Leighton Morgan took 16 from the opening over, while, at the other end, some fiery work from Ed Goodworth achieved healthy inroads as the Wells score tumbled unbelievably to 42-3 after six overs. Events were coming fast and loose, but Morgan moved serenely to his fifty from 48 balls with 9 fours when Luke Blackaby induced a return catch, and Wells were struggling on 78-4. Smith was now joined by Will Stickler, and clearly the need to haul in three batting points was paramount, requiring a total of 200 to be attained, without which Premier survival could not be guaranteed.

The fifth partnership slowly prospered, gradually overcoming the varied attack as the runs came, in what was an intensely vital passage of play upon which so much depended. The burden on these two young players was shouldered magnificently, and Smith moved to a wonderful half-century, his fifth of the campaign, from 90 balls with six fours as the total passed 150. Stickler, too, grew in stature in his annus mirabilis the longer the stand held, but at length, Smith was removed at 178 with the partnership having posted exactly 100, leaving a mere 22 runs needed for the points safety score. Incredibly, two wickets were then carelessly lost, and it fell to Stickler to mastermind those last few runs in company with the ever-dependable Fred Florry.

   The 200 was duly passed, the target had been reached, while The Vine bowlers now moved in for the kill. With home victory still in mind, Stickler tried to raise the runrate, reaching his fifty from 85 balls with five fours, before finally sacrificing his wicket in the push for faster scoring. The tail briefly wagged, but, with ten balls remaining, the final wicket fell, and Sevenoaks completed their win.

And so it was that Wells stayed in the Premier Division, for the third time in five years by the narrowest of margins, yielding up the perfect valete for their captain Mark Smith, whose long reign had finally come to an end. The amazing climb-back, faced by virtually a vertical wall to scale, had been achieved in the 'back nine' after a disastrous first nine games in which just one victory was managed. Thus Smith could point to five years in the top flight, without ever quite being dislodged, and this popular and engaging all-round star of the Premier must now take his skills elsewhere as he follows his professional destiny to foreign parts. Mark, TWCC will be forever indebted to you for your wonderful abilities, leadership and camaraderie. Te salutamus !!