SBCC 1st team visited Sudbury on Saturday hoping to defend one of the four unbeaten records in the EAPL. Dan Heath, again won the toss and elected to bat buoyed by the early season form of his batting unit. Waqas Hussain again got a start but was once again dismissed relatively cheaply with the score on 31. Fellow opener Matthew Hague then registered his second fifty plus score of the season when he added 51 with Noah Thain. Hague departed after scoring exactly fifty (from 58 balls) when he became the first of Darren Batch’s five victims. Thain was then joined by Sawston vice-captain and inform batter Callum Guest and the pair added a magnificent 180 for the third wicket. Guest contributing 104 to the partnership in just 88 balls (13 fours and 1 six), with sixteen-year-old Thain adding 68 from 76 balls as he hit his maiden fifty for the Club. Their hundred partnership was made off just 118 balls. They then hit the accelerator as the next fifty came off 27 balls and the final thirty off just 19 balls. Batch claiming the scalps of both Guest and Thain (88) and Guest’s debutant brother Ethan as Sudbury fought back to reduce the Rams from 262 for 2 to 266 for 5. This proved to be a bad move as Tim Moses and Ben Clilverd were brought together and they added 73 for the sixth wicket in just 22 balls. Moses making 45 from just 13 balls (3 x4 and 5 x6) and his partner an unbeaten 26 from just 9 balls (4 x4, 1x6). Batch removing Moses to gain his fifth wicket but at a cost of 109 runs from his allocation of ten overs. It was just left to James Vandepeer to dispatch the last three balls for twelve runs as Sawston finished on a season’s best of 351 for 6. Jonathan Gallagher was the only other wicket-taker for Sudbury (1-60).

The hosts hope of chasing down the total were hampered by an injury to skipper and top order batsman Adam Mansfield who was unable to bat. James Vandepeer made an initial breakthrough when makeshift opener Sean Cooper was dismissed on 19. Alex Quinn and Darren Batch then added forty for the second wicket before Mark Smith removed Quinn (21). The in-form Ben Parker then joined Batch and a further thirty-two were added. Ben Clilverd then removed Parker, Batch and ex-Sawston Junior Adam Dellar in quick succession, when Ethan Guest added a debut wicket 117 for 3 had become 140 for 6. Kenny Moulton-Day then replicated some of the first innings late order fireworks as he plundered 54 from just 19 balls (4 x 4, 6x6). Guest enjoying his bowling debut much more than his batting one helped himself to (3-17), as he an Clilverd (3-59) shared the bowling plaudits with Vandepeer (2-69). The Sudbury innings closed on 206 for 9. Sawston’s margin of victory being reduced to 129 runs following a DLS adjustment and a reduction of four overs.

The Rams sit joint top with Great Witchingham as the two sides with 100% records, title favourites Swardeston sit a menacing third. The early season results have shown that the league is competitive and that every side is capable of defeating any of their rivals on the day.

The Rams second string got their league campaign underway when they defeated Biggleswade by 55 runs at Spicers. Both sides getting their first taste of Cambs and Hunts Premier Cricket following promotions from their respective ‘junior’ leagues. The visitors won the toss and invited the hosts to bat, perhaps recognising the possibility of late afternoon showers and run rate adjusted targets. They were soon to regret the choice as Ben Benson carried forward his excellent form from pre-season and was joined by seasonal debutant Matt Ellis. The pair added 124 for the first wicket, with the hundred partnership coming off 120 balls. Benson was dismissed by Max Smith. Ellis then added 32 with Scott Stanford (19) before he was dismissed by the impressive Adam Daglass as the home side lurched to 159 for 3. Ant Phillips with 32 from 29 balls before he was run-out helped the lower order add a further 97 runs as the innings closed on 256 for 8 in 45 overs. Daglass finished with 2-33 and Thomas Boyd with 2-17.

Biggleswade’s reply got off to a poor start when the impressive Sean Ward (1-8) trapped visiting skipper Kevin Wright with the score on 10. However, Ross Fensome (32), Bruce Ditcham (39) and Daglass (38) moved the score along to 116 for 2. The visitors were very much in the game despite a climbing run-rate. Biggleswade then lost wickets regularly despite Cameron Mackay fifty (off 49 balls) as the run rate quickly increased to double digits. Phillips (2-38), James Drummond (2-32) and Jake Raven (2-37) all picked up braces as the innings finished on 201 for 8. The home side failing to bowl out Biggleswade to secure the extra five points.

Sawston and Babraham’s third team also got their campaign under way with a victory when they visited neighbours Thriplow II’s. Despite the early loss of Sean Jenkins, the visitors vindicated Jake Ellis’s decision to bat first as Wes Potschul (32) and Sumit Siddharth (27) moved the score along to 94 for 3 before both perished. Oliver Borley and Jon Curran then added exactly 100 for the fourth wicket. Borley scoring an impressive 64 off 74 balls (7 x 4, 1x6). The home side hit back to remove Borley and Barker to leave the hosts on 194 for 5 with Oscar Togood picking up 3-37. Ian Smith then joined Curran as they picked up the pace to add an unbeaten seventy at a pace. Smith finished on 38 not out from 17 balls (6 x 4, 1x6) and top scorer Curran on 79 not out off just 56 balls (5 x 4 and 4x6) as the innings finished on 264 for 5 at the end of the forty overs.

The home side’s reply was soon in tatters despite 45 from the impressive youngster Toby Weston as Dom Cameron (5-35) and Torin Phelps (3-20) tore through the Thriplow batting. There was just time for Borley to cap a fine day by ‘burgling’ 2-5 as the hosts succumbed for 136 giving the Rams an impressive 128 run victory.

SBCC 4ths played their first match of the season and lost by five wickets to Cam Kerala III in Division 5W. Sawston won the toss and batted first with Robert Benson not only matching his son’s performance with the bat but also matching his age when he scored 62. Chris Kerby with 28 and teenager Joe Latham with 22 were the only other batsman to offer substantial support. Non-the-less the home side posted a respectable 185 for 9, with fourteen-year-old debutant Arya Saeb-Parsy notching his first boundary in his 5 not out. Himanshu Shankar (3-25) and Prince Jacob (3-28) were the leading bowlers. Saheer Babu’s unbeaten 67 was the backbone of the Cam Kerala victory although he received excellent support from Savio Andrew, Saiju Joseph, and Adarsh Bimaldany who all made scores of twenty plus. Saeb-Parsy picked up his first senior wicket but Sam Browne (2-21) was the most successful bowler as the visitors won with two overs to spare.

3/4 as all 4 teams leagues are off & running!