In searing temperatures at the Car Park Ground, Offham won the toss and decided to bat, but the under-par total eventually compiled was unlikely to extend the home batting on a rock-hard top made for batting.

   Philip Heine (72) showed that run-scoring was perfectly possible, but the home attack, led by Matt Stone (4-52) proved to be something of a handful for the remainder of the early order. After 16 overs, the score had struggled to 77-5 when Heine was joined by Jamie Powell, with the result that 59 runs were added for the sixth partnership in relative comfort. Steve Green (2-34) finally broke through, and, assisted by veteran Jock Paterson (2-22), saw to the gradual removal of the lower order, Nick Chambers (1-32) netting his first League wicket since June 2004 when last he was used in anger. Powell (24) played out an obdurate rearguard, but he could not prevent his side sliding to an all-out 183 as the overs ran out.

   The reply also ran into early difficulty, with three good wickets falling while the score moved uneasily to 65-3 after 13 overs. Chambers, not out 31 at this point, received excellent support from Stone, who set about the visiting bowlers with great vigour. Sensing the mood of the game had changed, Chambers also cut loose, and this pairing saw Wells home without further loss in a powerful unbroken partnership of 119 as the fourth wicket held. Stone smote 12 fours in his 56-ball not out 69, while Chambers reached the fence ten times on the way to a dominant undefeated 65. The stand occupied just over eighteen overs, and the win brought a further 16 points to TW IV, who continue to hold second spot in the lists, just three points away from the early leaders Wye CC.

   Wells travelled to Milton Road, and, losing the toss, made a good start when the home batting slid to 27-4, before Dave Errington rallied the effort, and saw his side to a challeging 241-8 as the 50 overs were completed.

   Errington, fresh from a huge Sunday century, went again to three figures, and ensured Gravesend kept to a rate of five-per-over as the weak start was overcome. The lower middle order all gave doughty support, and Errington reached 117 before he was eventually dismissed. Wells could only manage another four wickets in the second phase, and in the end faced a target total some way beyond what had at first appeared likely.

   The reply was in tatters at 43-6, Errington adding further to the visitors' woes, but Percy Watts (52) batted soundly and sensibly to notch his maiden League fifty, receiving stout assistance from David Green as the century was hoisted, but the damage was too great to overcome. Wells slipped to 136 all out, and a single batting point, to accompany the three bowling points from a disappointing away performance. Their League position moved from sole second to equal second, allowing for imbalance in the matches played at this stage of the campaign.

   Wells journeyed down to Walmer where they lost the toss and had to field out the home innings. A captain's effort from Laurence Marsh (47) looked to have been decisive, yet the late order contrived to add thirty precious runs, half of which came for the tenth wicket, and the grand work done by the bowlers in mid-innings was thus somewhat undone.

   Marsh notched eight fours to get the score moving, despite the predations of Steve Green (2-11) and Matt Stone (2-25), and, being dismissed at 66-4 had been responsible for the majority of the runs made to that point. Neil Wheeler (25) took the total past three figures, when the Wells attack had its dynamic phase. Four wickets fell while fifteen runs were added, and the target suddenly seemed relatively slight on a low-scoring track. The final tally of 29 extras was to tell against the visitors in the closing stages of the second innings. Stone came away with the praiseworthy figures of 5-53.

   So Wells set off to make 133 for victory, and skipper David Pinkstone (28) played a deeply responsible knock while seeing his side along to 63-4, matching almost exactly the home effort at a similar juncture. Depressingly for the visiting batsmen, the middle order was swept away in a repeat of the earlier pattern, and it was left to youngster Michael Kelly (39), on League debut, to take Wells to within touching distance of the objective. Kelly played a marvellous innings, batting serenely through 105 balls with 5 fours, which took his side from 19-3 to 106-9 when finally he succumbed to the change bowler Dan Ford. He and his captain had added a resourceful 44 for the fourth partnership, while S.Green stayed as 26 came for the eighth stand. The tail could not match the Walmer effort however, and Wells were finally all out for 108, handing the win to the hosts by just 24 runs in a fine game.

   Wells remain in good shape in the table, nonetheless, at seventh, but with just one relegation place to be avoided now that Ashford IV have been removed from the reckoning. Frindsbury on the Upper Ground are to be the final opponents of the first half of the campaign on the coming Saturday.

   Wells won a useful toss and chose to bat first, a very hot afternoon being in prospect, and, in the end, reached a more than useful score as the result of some determined late batting after the skipper had again set up the total.

   Frindsbury broke through early, which served to bring Nick Chambers to the wicket sooner than he might have wished, yet he and George Montgomery (23) posted a handy 50 runs for the second stand before the visitors snapped up four more wickets while just 36 runs were added. Shahzad Raza (4-57) was the star for Frindsbury, while Chambers defied this dramatic spell, going on to take Wells clear in a decisive partnership of 67 for the sixth wicket with Richard Powell. Chambers finally fell for a dominant and authoritative 77 (11 fours), and the game was neatly poised at 190-7 with ten overs remaining. Powell now found a resourceful partner in David Green, and these two laid about them as the attack wilted in the heat. A new record seventh stand was the outcome, with an unbroken 76 being added at better than a run-per-ball, as each player unleashed shot after shot in the closing stages. Green ended unbeaten on 38 (5 fours), while Powell moved on to a maiden TW half-century, ending on 64 not out with 6 fours and one six.

   The reply stuttered to 28-2 before Nigel Pullen and Laurence Claughton settled in to remove the immediate threat of collapse. These two added a staunch 138 for the third wicket before Wells added a second double strike, but Pullen remained dogged in defence and guided his side to safety. Claughton (84 with 14 fours) moved the rate along busily, while Pullen dropped anchor, yet, with wickets in hand, the expected late charge was never mounted, and the home XI moved to a comfortable winning draw as the overs ran out. Pullen came in with an undefeated 64 (7 fours), and, at the finish, 54 runs still separated the sides.

Wells remain two places above the dropzone, on equal points with Gravesend RFC, but within easy reach of the sides higher up. More promising results in the coming weeks should see these gaps narrowed and the XI rise further in the lists.

   The long drive in the sweltering heat was capped for Wells with the loss of the toss, and, unsurprisingly, Deal took first knock on a bouncy-looking track.

   The youthful visiting attack was bolstered by the expertise of Steve Green, and, for much of the innings they controlled the flow of runs while steadily breaking through. The difficulty in getting the ball off the square was to persist throughout the game, but boundaries were far from impossible, as Pete Court (44) was to show in twentyeight overs of defiance which were prefaced with three fours and a six. Court was at length removed by Ben Watts to make it 118-6 after 39 overs in which David Green (15-4-26-1) was outstanding, while S.Green (3-48) and Ed Prest (2-58) deserved better for their efforts. The tempo was belatedly raised by Ian Bone (38*) who also began with a boundary blitz, and a run-per-ball was uniformly achieved in the final ten overs to take the score to a testing 185-7 at the close.

   The reply was launched with a barnstorming 39 from the first 28 balls as opener Marc Newbould took a heavy toll of some wayward home bowling. George Montgomery assisted as the first partnership posted 73 from 16 overs, whereupon the guile of Steve Thompson (15 overs and 2-15) applied the brakes, supported by Nick Francis who also took the pace off the ball. Newbould, however, was in the form of his life, and, when joined by Nick Chambers, gradually set up the platform for the victory push. The tussle was at its most intense during this phase, but the unexpected loss of Chambers at 149 opened the door despite continued heroics from Newbould. The last six Wells wickets tumbled in an anticlimactic heap in the last eight overs, the low bounce and tight lines proving too much for a diffident tail, who also contrived two run-outs as the match slipped away. Newbould joined an elite few at TW who have carried their bat throughout an entire innings, his undefeated 84 (12 fours from 156 balls) being a quite remarkable feat on a deteriorating surface, but even his effort could not keep the spoils from the home XI, who emerged as victors by just seven runs out of 363 on the day.

   The result was enough to keep Wells out of the dropzone, and the closeness of this encounter served to remind doubters that survival was no foregone conclusion. Deal roared up the table on the back of their 20 points, but with only nine points separating the top four, continued winning will be all-important.

   Wells travelled down to Offham where they lost the toss and were left to field out the first innings, but so well did they respond that they kept the target total well within bounds and later cantered joyously to a seven-wicket win.

   Gary Evans (83) played a lone hand for the home side, despite occasional support down the list, and he ensured respectability while seeing the score up to 157-5 when he became one of Steve Green's four victims. However, the story looked very different after 25 overs with the scoreline showing 102-2, and Evans undefeated on 43. This proved to be the high point of the innings, as Green (4-28) snared the lower order with assistance from Jan Ball and Henry Francis. Ben Watts finally removed Evans, but the last six wickets crashed for 22 runs and the strong opening was compromised.

   The chase was given a wonderful start as George Montgomery raced to 50* out of the first 54 runs, which came from just eight overs. Max Thorpe, himself no slouch, then came to the party, but was first out at 89 in the sixteenth over, while Ball settled in to see his side home. Richard Evans (2-30) removed Montgomery at 100-1, and bowled another at 135, but the victory surge was managed by skipper David Pinkstone as Ball went to a run-a-ball 55 with the last 46 runs coming from just six overs. The win netted Wells 16 points and pushed them up to the dizzy heights of fifth spot in the table, just two points below Offham, who were soundly defeated on the day. Montgomery hit 10 fours in his 61, while Ball struck six fours and three sixes in his effort.

   Wells hosted the opposition on the Upper Ground, lost the toss, and were asked to bat in gloomy and overcast conditions that greatly improved as the afternoon wore on. Nick Manser, with 55 from 41 balls, gave the home innings a flying start, collecting nine fours and one six as he got the score up to 71-1 from 13 overs.

   Tom Baxter (44) lent support as the second stand realised fifty runs, and the next eight overs produced another 43 with Pradeep Muragesan at last showing some form, but Wye's attack now struck back. Baxter's fine effort, which included seven fours, ended after a 72-ball vigil at 135, the skipper fell a run later, and, despite a spirited 23 from Ben Watts, the innings slid to an all-out 166 with six overs unused, which Wye were later to benefit from as they needed more than the 50-over allocation to complete their win. Adrian Frampton (4-48) did the early damage, while Robert Banks (3-33), with strong assistance, ensured that the tail-enders made no recovery.

   Liam Flint (4-48) and Ed Prest (3-27) burst through the early Wye batting order, reducing the score to 28-3, but David Jukes (52) and the middle order, for whom Adam Dodd played a vital knock, did enough to thwart the Wells' progress, and slowly yet surely brought the scores closer together. David Pinkstone juggled his resources sagely, and not without success, but the visitors clung on and gradually overhauled the target total. This final phase was marred by some elementary fielding errors, and as many as five catches were spilled as the victory loomed into sight. Dodd (49 not out) was there to the very end, which came in the 52nd over, and demonstrated just how hard Wells had fought while at the same time proving the importance of batting out the overs.

   The XI remain safely placed in the middle of the table, although only 34 points separate third spot from eighth, suggesting that slip-ups could be expensive now.