The 3s end the season unbeaten while the 1s march on!

Firstly, this week we must say a massive well done to our 3rd XI who have just completed their unbeaten season by winning their play off game against St Giles 3rds. Also, massive congratulations to Sean Jenkins who after scores of 84 and 97 not out finally made it onto the Wall of fame when he made an unbeaten 125, to take his total 3rd team runs and average to 306 in three games.

SBCC won the toss and elected to bat and were given the perfect start by Jenkins and fellow opener Sumit ‘Sid’ Siddarth (79) who add 169 for the first wicket. Sid himself scoring 187 runs at an average of 62 this season. Sid reaching his half century in just 58 balls with Jenkins first fifty coming off 76 balls, with the hundred partnership coming off 106 balls and the 150 coming up in just 158 balls. Jenkins reaching three figures in 109 balls with nine fours and three maximums. There was just time for Jenkins and Chris Kerby (13 not out) to add fifty in the final 38 balls as SBCC ended on 253 for 3. On a difficult day for the bowlers Isabella James 2-45 and Matt Voutt 1-43 emerged with some credit.

In reply St Giles scored a creditable 186 for 5 as Christopher Barrie (44) and Peter Ames (30) made decent scores. However, they never threatened the home side’s total and skipper Jake Ellis was able to rest centurion Jenkins from bowling duties. Youngster Oscar Moore 1-17 from eight tidy overs again showed his promise before the skipper came on to burgle 2-36 to close out the game. Skipper Jake Ellis and his troops can feel justifiably proud to be the only unbeaten side in the Club this year. With their recruitment this year and the emergence of young talent from our Juniors together with some early recruitment for 2021 he will be optimistic for a good campaign for next season.

SBCC first team responded to last week’s home defeat by Copdock to hold their nerve and win an absolute classic at Bury St. Edmunds. SBCC won the toss and elected to bat. Josh Jordan and James Vandepeer both returned to open the innings and the skipper was rewarded with a patient thirty-six run opening stand. SBCC first fifty coming off 109 balls. Vandepeer (43) then added another thirty-five runs with Waqas Hussain (42) who in turn added a further forty with Ben Clilverd (20).

However, an all to familiar batting collapse saw SBCC slip from a promising 125 for 3 to 133 for 6. Fortunately, Alex Stafford (35 from 31 balls), in at eight, rediscovered some of last year’s fantastic form as he helped the late order add fifty-one precious runs before the last pair of Mark Smith and Tommy Hams got the score to 193 for 9. Ben Whittaker causing much of the middle innings collapse picking up 5-27.

Bury started well in their reply with Justin Broad (16) and Chris Benjamin (40) adding forty-nine for the first wicket before Benjamin added another twenty-eight with Ben Seabrook (33). Bury then suffered a setback as a run out brought about another quick dismissal as Bury hiccoughed at 80 for 3. However, Seabrook and Alfie Marston (31) seemed to have steadied the ship at 137 for 3. So much so when Tommy Hams removed Marston there seemed little cause for alarm. Tim Moses returned to the attack and removed Seabrook and Allchin in the space of three balls to reduce the home side to 139 for 6.

With the experienced Sean Park at the crease with only fifty-five required and just over ten overs to go the home side were still just slight favourites. When Mark Smith ran out Park on 155 for 7, with some fantastic soccer skills, the pendulum swung back towards SBCC. However, George Loyd, adding to his two earlier wickets, and Whittaker had other ideas as they added twenty-three precious runs to take the home side to the brink. They had taken ten runs off Moses’s first five balls of the forty-eighth over before Moses struck to remove Loyd at 180 for 8. When they added a further eight runs from Hams’ penultimate over the game looked done and dusted at 188 for 8 with one over to go. Indeed, it was all over two balls later, with SBCC snatching a nail-biting and remarkable win as Moses removed had Whittaker caught off his first ball to claim 4-35, and Cook was run out by Josh Jordan as he attempted to get back for his second run.

Those present at the reverse fixture may be forgiven for feeling a bit of deja-vu, although the drama was a notch or two up for this one. Sawston’s incredible victory keeps them 19 points clear at the summit of the EAPL Southern Division with two games to go, nearest challengers Sudbury maintained their own title challenge with a comfortable victory at Saffron Walden.

A lack of match sharpness contributed to SBCC’s 2nd string’s defeat in their play off game against Longstanton Grasshoppers. The game, being played at Exning as a result of Sawston’s square undergoing major renovation work for the 2021 season, was the home sides first game for three weeks. SBCC won the toss and invited the ‘visitors’ to bat. Despite the early loss of Kevin Calvert they were progressing nicely as James Mynott (34) and Ian Handy (23) took the score past fifty in a dozen overs. SBCC spinners Jake Raven (2-28) and Matthew Day (1-35) briefly put a brake on the run rate. However, Declan Fitzhenry (46, from 56) and Ian Calvert (43 from 45) added a decisive fifty-seven before Will Blake added an unbeaten 27 (from 24) to take the total to 191 for 6. Mervin Shaji picking up 2-41.

SBCC’s hopes were soon in tatters at 1 for 2 and then 14-3, after ten overs, following excellent opening spells from Fitzhenry and Blake. Fortunately for SBCC the back up bowlers were less potent as Kane Munday (72) added sixty-two with Ben Benson (20) and forty-six with Chis Kindred (11). At 122 for 4 and less than five an over required SBCC were back in the game. Fitzhenry returned to shatter the home sides’ hopes and he ended up with 5 for 9 from his eight overs as the home sides’ innings closed some 36 runs short.