1st team start 2021 with 2 wins!

Cricket is back and the Mighty Rams start well with wins at Mildenhall & Cambridge University.

SBCC’s fist team started their season on a crisp day when the travelled to Mildenhall for a pre-season friendly against one of their East Anglian Premier League rivals.

The home side won the toss and decided to bat. Mark Smith (2-23) followed up his excellent 2020 mini season by claiming two early wickets. However, Darren Ironside (25) and the dangerous Jack Potticary enable the hosts to rattle along to 114 for 3. The Mildenhall wicket-keeper eventually fell, bowled by Ben Clilverd (2-50), for 58 in just 43 balls hitting eight boundaries and two maximums. His dismissal combined with SBCC left arm spinner George Darlow picking up (4-43) helped reduce the hosts to 148 for 8. Some tail wagging helped the home side reach 174 before they were all out in less than 40 overs.

Sawston lost star man Waqas Hussain for a duck, but fellow opener Michael Cafferkey (46 off 59 balls) moved the visitors along 75 before he became the hosts third victim. Ben Clilverd (25) then joined Callum Guest (35 from 37 balls) to add 49 valuable runs for the fourth wicket, but the visitors then wobbled losing two wickets on 125. Tim Moses joined debutant Ant Phillips and they also added another 49 before Moses (27 from 29) fell just short of the winning line. Phillips completed a good debut by remaining unbeaten and taking SBCC to victory by four wickets.

It was good to blow away the cobwebs, give debuts to Phillips and youngster Noah Thain and great to get a victory but no one is getting carried away by using this match as a form guide as both sides were far from being at full strength.

SBCC continued with their excellent pre-season form when they defeated the Cambridge University Cricket Club by 39 runs on Sunday. Following up their good win at Mildenhall on Saturday they were blessed with some more sunshine and a slightly warmer day in which to continue their build up to the season proper. Skipper Dan Heath, sponsored by Accountibbleity for the 2021 season, won the toss and decided to bat.

Despite the cheap loss of James Vandepeer and Joshua Jordan, both victims to Newby, SBCC’s talisman Waqas Hussain showed some superb early season form as he raced to 76 from just 58 balls, a knock that included twelve fours and two sixes. He was finally out with the score on 96, having shared a stand of 63 with Alex Stafford. The patient Stafford (20 from 52 balls) then added 45 with George Darlow (27 from 36 balls). They were both dismissed in quick succession as Agarwal picked up (5-47) as the innings lurched from 141 for 3 to 170 for 8. The visitors had packed their lower order and Ben Clilverd (27) and Tim Moses (36 not out) added valuable lower order runs. The innings closed on 234 when Newby returned to finish with an impressive 3-14.

The University reply got off to a steady reply before the golden arm of Hussain was introduced to remove Taylor (16). Sawston’s two left arm spinners Darlow and Stafford then strangled the middle order and picked up three wickets between them as the home side struggled to 73 for 4 just short of the halfway mark. Darlow finished with 1-35 from his 10 tidy overs following up his four wickets from Saturday and Stafford 2-32. The University advanced to 107 for 4 but the introduction of Ben Clilverd (2-43) and Callum Guest brought three quick wickets as the required rate climbed. The loss of Edward Hyde for 31 at 117 for 7 in the 37th over meant the required run rate was fast approaching nine an over. Guest then snared the impressive Newby who added a brisk 23 to his earlier wickets as he took the score to 149 for 8. Some spirited hitting from Dhariwal (26) and Senanayake (22) added some late fireworks adding a boundary laden 35 runs before Guest (3-33) had the former stumped by Heath. The innings closed in the final over on 195 when Scott Stanford (1-4) took the final wicket.

Scorecards for both matches can be found below!