The visitors won the toss on a warm if windy afternoon, and straight away batted the home team out of the match, as four of the top five notched half-centuries.

   The Wells attack toiled through 46 overs, picking up just four wickets, as the batsmen enjoyed themselves on the familiar helpful surface. Short boundaries encouraged bold methods, and the Bobbing Court batsmen filled their boots. Adam Haward (57), Paul Dennington (53) Gary Ryan (66no) and Trevor Earl (53) all passed the fifty-mark en route to a daunting 277-4 as the overs ran out. The fourth partnership between Earl and Ryan posted a blistering 110 runs in just ten overs with twelve fours and six sixes in that time, and Wells were set to make 278 in their 46 overs.

   The home batsmen almost lasted out the distance, the last wicket falling with just 8 balls remaining, but the runs deficit was fairly conclusive. The chase fell to 48-4 as Earl snapped up 5-30 in a memorable all-round display, but it was by no means one-way traffic. Alex Harbourne made a stylish 41 on debut for Wells, batting through 25 overs and receiving stout assistance from Michael Reichel (30) and latterly skipper Mark Thompson. Thompson however was alone among the Wells batsmen in making a fifty, his career-best score of 59 containing a belligerent ten fours. The captain and young Harbourne added 52 for the seventh wicket, but Earl returned to finish matters for the visitors, and the game went to Bobbing Court by 88 runs. Reichel and Harbourne had posted 51 for the fifth stand when the resistance reached its peak.

   Wells continued the good fortune with the toss that attended all four XIs on the day, and chose to bat first at Mayday Gardens, with emphatically successful results as the score reached a pinnacle of 199-1 after 37 overs.

   Oli Jones, returning to TW colours after a gap of five seasons, posted 54 with skipper BJ Allatt to set the free-scoring going, and, after the latter was removed, put up 145 for the second wicket with Nick Manser, which rocked along at better than five-per-over until the two hundred was well in sight. The home attack suddenly broke back to capture six wickets for nine runs in an astounding reversal, W.Jagath netting 4 for 3, and 4-40 in all, as the innings appeared to slip into freefall. Michael Reichel now chanced his arm, and slapped fours and sixes to keep the earlier momentum alive, and Wells finally set a target of 244 as the overs ran out. Jones' excellent effort at the top produced 69 mellifluous runs with ten fours, while Manser went on to a belligerent 91-ball 81 with 14 fours.

   The home batsmen faced a daunting task, but endeavoured to keep the chase alive with some late acceleration that closed the gap between the two sides in no uncertain terms, raising brief fears of a surprise win until the effort finally fell short. The Wells groundwork reached the heights with stunning catches being held by Stefan Grosvenor and Jones, yet simpler offerings were floored, and the hitting out from Jah Thomas (54) caused several anxious moments. Chris Courtney (2-37) and James Nethercott (3-56), with fine support down the list, brought the reply to a low-point of 93-6 when Thomas, assisted by Dave Heywood (20), crashed 64 for the eighth partnership, followed by 30 for the last wicket, but Allatt kept the field tight, and the game went to the visitors by just 14 runs as the innings concluded.

   Wells, with an extra match played, stand at second spot in the Table.

   Following events from 2010, it is far from unheard-of for a high-scoring game to come from these two batting line-ups, and Wells must have reckoned that a tall score was obligatory. The toss went with the visitors, who decided to chase whatever Wells left, and the home batsmen set off to build a challenging score.

   Sam Stickler's first outing of 2011 lasted through the entire innings, ending to the final ball of the 46 overs, during which time he compiled a remarkable 170 to provide the effort with solidity and quantity. Stickler hammered 25 fours and three sixes in a stay of 130 balls, but he received weak support early on as the visiting attack struck quickly to reduce the tally to 36-3 after 14 overs. Despite several chances and some experimental strokeplay, Chris Rainger helped Stickler to post a much-needed 125 for the fourth partnership, which was followed by George Montgomery posting 69 for the fifth wicket. During this latter stand, Stickler passed his century, and began to home in on the 150-mark. Rainger departed for a priceless 48, but again, after Montgomery was out, wickets suddenly tumbled, and the closing four overs saw to the addition of 44 runs, asking Westgare to make 275 for victory.

   The reply was briefly slowed when a wicket fell at 43, but otherwise the visiting batsmen knuckled down to dominate as a second stand of 157 effectively decided the issue. Chris Flint responded with a not-out 101 to win the game, partnered for much of the time by Steve Wood (94) who departed at 200-2 after a decisive innings that kept Wells at bay. Keith Sandwell (40*) helped Flint over the line to reel in an eight-wicket win, and the margin was increased by virtue of the four overs unused. Wells took just 3 points from the encounter, and need to return to winning ways to avert a freefall in the table. Clearly, Westgate are among the stronger sides in the Division. 

   A similar pattern to the fourth string followed TW III, who won the toss and asked their ten-man team to take first knock. A fearsome opening burst of 3-4 from eight hostile overs (four maidens) by Steven Lawrence left the effort tottering at 30-3, from which several attempts at revival were made, the best resistance coming from young George Montgomery (39), batting at number six.

   Stefan Grosvenor and Liam Flint both reached double figures, but some faulty running added to the woes of the afternoon, while Montgomery found late support in Ali Manser (12) as these two gradually dragged the total up to 83-7 from the low-point of 58-6. Chris Courtney belatedly partnered Montgomery to add 22 for the eighth partnership before the innings quickly folded for a lowly 109 all out, the home attack seldom having been truly extended. Montgomery's brave rearguard had taken up 61 balls and included three fours.

   The reply was rocked as Courtney strove to defend the meagre target set, two wickets falling to him as the score stuttered to 34-2, but Robert Donnelly (40*) joined David Clark (44*) to close out the brief glimmer of recovery by Wells. The skipper rang the changes, yet all came alike to Donnelly and Clark, who accelerated towards landfall, reaching 113-2 from just 26.4 overs to reel in 20 points in a one-sided contest. Wells managed three points from the encounter, but slipped down to eighth spot in the Table, also having played a match more than their nearby opponents, in a worrying run of form that must be reversed. Hopefully the post-County Week selection will be easier with the onset of school and University holidays.

   The toss went with the home side, who batted first on a track that did not last especially well, but it took too long for the Wells attack to harness the conditions, and numbers two to five played successfully enough to set up the game, while the visitors' batsmen collectively underperformed with two notable exceptions.

   The Dartfordians' 'keeper and skipper posted 48 after an early loss, and prepared the way for Oliver Lyth (51) and Jim Curtis to add 82 for the fourth partnership in seventeen overs, just as the Wells spinners were exerting control. Jon Kellett and Simon Harman had both reached battling twenties at the outset, but the contest was effectively decided when Lyth and Curtis defeated the guile of David Green and Nigel Keess (2-33), for, thereafter, conditions favoured the bowlers almost exclusively, and recovery was extremely difficult. The Dartfordians' score peaked at 146-3 before the remaining seven wickets tumbled in seven overs for 46 runs, with devastating spells from Chris Fenwick (3-11) and BJ Allatt (3-15) being too much for the later order.

   The target of 193 did not initially seem particularly demanding but Chris Scott (6-32) wrought immediate havoc as the visitors' tried to chase, and latterly he returned to extinguish the tail, in an innings that barely lasted for 34 overs. The Wells tally crashed to a calamitous 26-5 as Scott grabbed 4-17, before James Madgwick (58) and Liam Flint (33) added a fluent 74 from fourteen overs that gave hope for as long as it lasted. Madgwick smacked twelve boundaries in a courageous riposte, correctly reasoning that attack was the best policy, however, with his dismissal at 100-6, the writing was on the wall. Flint kept one end going to the very end, but prolonged resistance did not materialise, and Wells added a mere twentyfive runs before defeat came by 67 runs.

   The loss was actually enough to raise Wells one place in the Table, but that merely meant climbing from last to second-to-last, and much hard work is now required to avert the disaster that would be relegation. The XI clearly has the ability to retain status yet must now return smartly to winning ways so that the climb-back can commence successfully.

   In direct contrast to the fortunes of the Fourth string skipper, the ad hoc IIIs Captain, Ben Allatt, enjoyed a copybook success of unimaginable proportions as he led them from the front to a crushing victory by 215 runs. Farningham tried hard but were outdone at each phase of the game, and fell away finally to an all-out 111 in the face of a mammoth home score.

   Allatt opened with young Alex Harbourne, and a first wicket partnership of 276 was the outcome, spanning 41 overs, and containing innumerable scoring strokes on the small ground. The visiting attack was soon blunted, as much by Harbourne's eagle-eyed defensive technique as by Allatt's crashing enfilade of boundaries, and, a couple of chances notwithstanding, the stand flourished and seemed unstoppable until finally the skipper holed out with just five overs remaining. Allatt hit 30 fours and a six, easily passing his previous best against Farningham of 69 in 2003, and he left his top League score of 84 (against Betsham in 2006) far behind in compiling a maiden KL century. In the end, he ran up 167 out of 276 (and who ever thought that Ashley Jackson's record opening stand of 287 would ever be approached ?) while Harbourne showed great maturity at 14 as he kept one end safe en route to a massive undefeated 92 with 14 fours. Nick Chambers (5 fours and one six) added exactly 50 more with Harbourne before the overs ran out and Farningham were left to make 327 for vistory.

   Faced with such a task, unsurprisingly the reply was over-awed and quickly subsided into semi-collapse as the home bowlers mopped up uncertain batsmen. Darren Blake (25) and Sean Bensley (25) aside, there was little resistance of note, although the wickets required to be prised out. Steve Green (3-27) built on the success of the opening bowlers, while, late on, Alisdair Manser cashed in with 3-6 from 5.2 overs as the effort was completed at 111 with eight balls to spare. The win was immense but served only to keep Wells at ninth in the lists, and more work is yet required to lift them completely out of the relegation places.

   The home side won an important toss and chose to take first innings, a selection that met with complete approval from the Wells bowlers, who proceeded to demolish the line-up in short order. Indeed, only a last ditch 28 runs featuring Junaid Nadir (23) and the last man hoisted the target beyond the hundred mark, while nine catches were held, including two smart slip chances by the returning James Sharp, and Wells were set to make 124 for the win.

   Giles Randle was chief architect in the Blackheath collapse, as he snapped up 5-40 from eleven overs, but support was available down the list, with Chris Courtney and Steve Green each bagging a brace of wickets. Mobeen Tahir and skipper Grady Bridges tried to fight it out at the top of the order, but, having reached a zenith of 63-3, it all went downhill as the rampant Wells attack carried all before them. The removal of the next five batsmen for just fourteen runs heralded an imminent closure, but the last two wickets sold out dearly, and the reply had a little more work to do for the win.

   Sharp (53*) marked his recovery from injury with a pleasant and commanding innings that ensured a Wells victory, as first he added 65 with Liam Flint for the second wicket and then 46 with James Madgwick for the third. The fickle finger of fate had seen to the early removal of last week's centurion, but, with Madgwick departing with just three runs needed, the final result was never in any doubt, and Wells coasted home with 25 overs and seven wickets in hand to reel in the 20 points. The result served to lift the XI out of the relegation zone, and hopefully now set a path to a challenging mid-table position as the campaign progresses. Sharp's fine innings contained eight fours and spanned 76 balls as he relished his first outing since the Lordswood match of 14 May.

   Quite how large a part was played in this Wells victory by James Madgwick (147), in a reprise of his epic 138 in 2008 on the same Ground, and against the same opponents, becomes clear when one looks at the scoreboard. The margin of victory was 119 runs, Madgwick personally was responsible for 116 in boundary hits alone, in addition to 31 further runs. No other player on either side made more than 34 in a single innings, and conditions simply did not seem to favour the batsmen, despite the reputation of the venue for runfests.

   Joe Russell (2-67) and Archie Woodgate (3-32) took their wickets when they occurred while just 13 runs were scored, and some idea of the destruction that was possible came after the whirlwind 147 was completed, for, before and after it, the six wickets fell in clusters of three at perfectly manageable cost for any attack. Stefan Grosvenor (34) helped Madgwick add 133 for the fourth partnership (the record of 178 having been set in the 2008 game) in twentythree overs, of which Madgwick notched 101. His dismissal at 214 heralded the fall of a trio of wickets, but the overs were running out and risks were being taken, and a target of 235 was finally set.

   The reply did not have a centurion, try as they might, and wickets fell steadily. Peter Mitchell and Ben Moore resisted gamely, although Chris Fenwick and Jamie Lawrence, on debut, grabbed a wicket apiece in the early exchanges. The introduction of spin transformed the match however, as Steve Green (4-19) and Jack Wood (4-20) mowed down the last eight batsmen for next to nothing. Indeed, the last five in the order all made ducks, such was the domination, leaving number six Rick Melbourne undefeated on fifteen when the innings closed on 115 after just thirtynine overs.

   Wells took twenty points from the encounter, and moved up a few places to sixth in the lists, with every prospect of being able to improve that standing.

   Wells won a useful toss and asked the opposition to take first knock, and the home bowlers, led by Jamie Lawrence (5-34), dismantled the Shootershillians for 176 in a solid display that set up the win despite a few wobbles in the latter stages. Chris Courtney (3-43) opened the attack with Lawrence, and the second line of Giles Randle and Steve Green gave purposeful support.

   Shooters Hill were saved from outright collapse by Greg Plowman (27) and Daren Lewis (31), and the total slipped to 92-6 after 24 overs, without there seeming to be any way back for the visitors. However, skipper Michael Lear (50) hit out to splendid effect as he crashed three fours and three sixes in a stay of almost twenty overs. Lear added a careful 45 with Ronald Ball (29), and then kept the strike while 'keeper Dave Heywood help up an end for 37 more precious runs to be added. The opening bowlers returned to wrap up the innings, and Wells were set 177 for victory.

   The chase featured a cultured and hard-hit sixty from Mark Alexander, which included eight fours and a six, as the score was driven at some speed to 120-3. Nick Manser (35) asssisted Alexander as 74 came for the second partnership, and James Madgwick (37) slammed four fours and a six to follow up on the good work already done. Plowman (2-2) returned to give Wells a few nervous moments as the target came within range, but the winning runs came soon afterwards, and the home side netted another twenty points to continue their rise in the Table.

   TW are now at sixth position in the KRFL Premier League, and have established a winning formula that may take them higher still. The batting has an accomplished look about it , and the fielding and batting are shaping up well, allowing the thought that better things are yet possible.

   The rains of mid-July finally having abated, Wells won the toss on the Car Park Ground and chose to take first knock in clear conditions. The track seemed hard enough, but perhaps there was some damp still in the surface. Either way, the RACS attack soon found enough to feel encouraged, and only James Madgwick acquitted himself really well in the home innings.

   The tempo of scoring was set in the opening stand of 50 from 12 overs, but both openers were suddenly dismissed, and a period of consolidation followed. Liam Flint and Madgwick added a brisk and dominant 51 with many boundaries before the former missed a straight one, and Stefan Grosvenor (30) now gave support, yet the RACS bowlers kept striking back while keeping a lid on the runrate. Madgwick (54) departed at 145-5 after 37 overs, Grosvenor left at 175, and the last 14 balls saw George Montgomery and Ben Watts add 21 to set the visitors 197 for victory.

   Dominic Trett (2-44) gave Wells the best of starts with a fourth-ball wicket, and Watts followed this up to reduce the chase to 17-2, but thereafter it became hard work to break through. Matt Syrett added to his 3-38 with a splendid 50 which took the score up to 124-4, with Ian Bender adding 55 for the fourth wicket, and that proved to be the last success for the home attack as Bender went on to notch an unbeaten 67 (thirteen fours and one six) as the fifth partnership held to put on 75 in seeing RACS home by six wickets with twenty-seven balls in hand. The League Leaders pre-match simply extended their tenure at the head of the lists.

   The home total was probably some 40-50 runs short on the day, although credit was due to the bowlers who stifled any aggression and were seldom collared throughout. By the same token, the home attack was only briefly in command, and Wells conceded the game by a substantial margin, yet dropped just a single place to seventh in the Table, a short distance above the dropzone.

   Bobbing Court won the toss and asked T/Wells to take first knock, a decision soon to be vindicated as a wicket fell in the opening over. The score shifted speedily to 46-3 after ten overs with a welter of boundaries before the game changed in a sterling fourth wicket partnership that equalled the record set in 2008 against Bexley III XI.

   James Madgwick then had combined with Liam Flint to post 178, and this time was joined by Will Arthur, fresh from his triumphs against the MCC, to add the same tally and set a platform for Wells that would take the game out of Bobbing Court's reach. Madgwick selflessly lost his wicket trying to maintain an accelerating runrate for a regal 98 (13 fours in 119 balls) while Arthur perished in the final over for a princely 75 which allowed his partner every opportunity to excel. The innings closed a few runs later, and the home batsmen were set 238 for victory.

   Captain Gary Ryan played freely for a dashing 55 (9 fours and one six) scored out of 94-2, with stout support from Paul Bacon (30), who steadied the innings as Steve Green undid unwary batsmen to capture 3-19 from twelve overs. Trevor Earl threatened to counter-attack in a cameo 34 containing 6 fours and a six but Jamie Lawrence (3-32) and visiting skipper BJ Allatt (3-26) wrought such sudden havoc that six wickets fell in a procession for seven runs in five overs and the chase was effectively over. The last pairing, however, resisted for the final couple of overs, and denied the visitors the final wicket, although T/Wells took the win under the prevailing rules.

   The 19 points gathered in helped to narrow the gap on their opponents of the day, taking Wells back up to sixth spot in the Table, and once again suggesting that the campaign had further improvement to come.

   Skipper BJ Allatt won an important toss and asked Farningham to take first knock on a surface that looked to offer substantial help to the bowlers, and so it proved to be. A total of all but 64 overs produced sixteen wickets for just 198 runs, with conditions only marginally easier in the second innings.

   The home side slid to 32-5 after thirteen overs as Chris Fenwick, aided by Ben Watts, grabbed 3-26, with none of the top six in the line-up even reaching double figures. A series of maidens from Steve Green was matched by Tom Jenner's incisive wicket-taking (4-30), with the outcome that the score crept along to 74-8 before some late resistance added a welcome flurry of boundaries. Graham Parkinson (20) marshalled the tail-enders into trying to bat out the overs, but the innings closed short of the allocation to set Wells a target of 99 for the win.

   The reply was also beset by a cascade of wickets as Hadleigh Wiles (5-43) tried almost single-handedly to retrieve the situation. The visitors' batsmen were just as much in strife as had been their counterparts, and the chase subsided to 32-4 after nine overs. Allatt now led from the front and took the fight back to the home attack with an aggressive but watchful vignette that brought him a match-winning not out 31 from 38 balls with four fours to see his side home. Nonetheless, Farningham did further damage as the victory came into sight but the margin proved too narrow to prevent the inevitable, and Wells nipped over the line with four wickets in hand after almost 22 overs of batting. Sam Watts and Liam Flint grafted precious runs to keep Wells in the hunt.

   And so it was that the visitors took 20 points from the encounter, with Farningham also doing reasonably well under the prevailing regulations, and this took Wells past two hundred points into fifth place in the table after a strong second-half showing.

   A marvellous game of cricket ended with all results open until the final runs were hit, and Wells sneaked over the line with two wickets in hand and the overs almost used up. The home side won the toss and batted, but the first half of the innings was quite somnolent and gave no hint of the excitement in store.

   The opening twentyfive overs proceeded sedately to 59-1 before the match was shaped by a sterling innings from the Mersham captain Rob Wilson. The required acceleration was mounted under his guidance with a pyrotechnic not out 65 (8 fours and 2 sixes) as the last sixteen overs posted 115 runs to neatly reach the 200-mark. The visiting attack kept their lines well, with Ben Allatt (2-23) and Steve Green (2-39) the main contributors, and the target was set at 203 for the win. The home batsmen gave their skipper every support in raising the score, while John Southern (45) had set the platform for the subsequent assault.

   Mark Alexander (61) gave the reply a positive tone as he and James Sharp put up 78 for the opening partnership from seventeen overs, but the middle order was swept away as Kevin Burton and Vince Tyrell grabbed three wickets apiece and the total slid to a dismal 107-6. Alexander had powered eleven fours in his delightful knock but the collapse had left Sharp not out defiantly on 38, and he stood between Wells and defeat. Tom Baxter provided the fireworks to turn the tide while Sharp kept battling on, and his 32-ball 37 contained four fours and two sixes as 58 runs came in a cascade for the seventh wicket. Chris Fenwick now assisted the opener in his epic vigil, and he and Sharp took the score up to 198 when the eighth wicket fell, but Sharp, now well past his fifty, was still at the crease. A boundary from Jamie Lawrence in the penultimate over finally settled the issue, and Wells reached the required total by a very narrow margin. Sharp carried out his bat for a wonderful match-winning undefeated 78 from 132 balls that spanned all but 45 overs.

   The win propelled Wells to the dizzy heights of fourth spot in the Table, but, aptly, both sides took major points from a gripping and splendid contest. More than four hundred runs were scored on the day, and fifteen wickets fell to add to the spectacle, crowned by a nail-biting finish.

   Wells won the toss on a day that saw much rain elsewhere in Kent, after drizzle had preceded the playing hours but gave way to warm sunshine. Aware that Blackheath had tumbled to an all-out score of fourteen in the previous week, there was a natural desire to see what would be the outcome after such an experience.

   Blackheath struggled on a surface that seemd to give help to the bowlers, with Vic Kandampully (40) holding off any threat ot outright collapse, although wickets fell at the other end. After three batsmen had departed, Kandampully finally found a steady partner in Predrag Basic (56), and these two provided the platform for a total that the bowlers might defend. Skipper BJ Allatt (4-40) was easily the best contributor on a mixed afternoon, while veteran star Chris Swadkin (28) and Rezaul Karim added important late runs to set Wells 193 for victory.

   The reply never truly got into gear, and slipped to 37-5 from eighteen overs as the Blackheath bowlers broke through continually and the home batsmen failed to settle in. Stefan Grosvenor (19) alone gave an air of permanence before Nick Sharp defied the visitors' progress, but, Allatt (28) apart, the innings was something of a procession. Sharp (38) and Allatt crashed eight fours and a six in a quickfire 40-run resistance for the seventh wicket, but after the latter went to a fine catch from Jason Lambie, Sharp's was a sole effort, and he was last man out at 119 to bring Blackheath a fine win by 73 runs.

   The result in no way put Wells in danger of relegation, but was enough to move them back to sixth spot in the table with the final game to come on September 3 against Bexley III away.

   Wells journeyed to North Cray to face the Bexley third string, but the wicket was not of the highest quality, and the visitors lasted little more than seventeen overs as the home attack used the conditions well in a dominant and crushing display. Martin Pask (5-21) was virtually unplayable and took the last three wickets in three balls spread over two overs to grab a hat-trick. The visiting batsmen collectively had an afternoon to forget, although Stefan Grosvenor showed what was possible with gritty application and a sturdy technique. He alone lasted through some ten overs, but, there being little support, the scoreline did not benefit particularly, despite Sam Watts' 19 at the outset. The total was pushed to 30-1 by Watts' effort but then the Bexley bowlers powered through the line-up.

   The reply was faced with the task of getting 67 for the win, with more overs available than runs needed, and the openers knuckled down to complete the job in the shortest yet safest manner. Harry Furze and Rick Melbourne took one ball light of fifteen overs to bring about the victory, and, by keeping their wickets intact, Bexley prevented the visitors from even taking a single point from the encounter. Wells were not imperilled in any way by the threat of relegation, and remained in sixth place in the Table after a campaign that had seen all manner of results and performances.