Rams return a full house!

Sawston and Babraham’s three most senior sides enjoyed a fantastic day as they all preserved their unbeaten status in three spectacular victories. However, to a certain extent all three were trumped by the fourths. It is a measure of the success we are enjoying as a Club that we are able to field four sides, comfortably, on a bank holiday Saturday. However, the real success is that we are able to do it following our mantra of getting as many youngsters playing as possible.

With two of the teenager’s missing from the side that last played, skipper (non-playing this week) was able to give debuts to two more youngsters in Jude Bedford and Bill Rimmell, joining Joe Latham and thirteen-year-old wicket-keeper Sam Ronco. In a quirk of the fixtures the fourths were the only side at home, at Babraham Park. Camborne on the first really sunny day of the season won the toss and batted. After a steady start where the reached thirty without loss, then started to lose regular wickets as spinners Adam Hodgkisson (2-6 from eight miserly overs) and Naga Yanamandela (2-23) made breakthroughs. There was also a first senior wicket for Jude Bedford (1-9 from 5 overs) before the opening bowlers returned to close the innings with Joe Latham (2-36) and Chris Kerby (1-29) helping to restrict the Camborne innings to 139 for 8, despite Shivek Sharma’s 38 not out.

In reply the Rams lost former 1st team captain Guy Masterson early as he retired not out on one. Robert Benson (50) and James Watson (20) then took the score to 84 but the loss of both left the Rams on 87 for 2, was the gate open for Camborne? However, Richard Moulton (backing up his match winning innings last time out) with 14 not out added an unbeaten 55 as the junior partner to Bedford who capped a fine day with 39 not out as the Sawston side made it back-to-back victories with an eight-wicket win.

The first's won an important toss when the visited Bury St. Edmunds in the EAPL. Bury were sitting third in the division following an impressive start to the season which included last week’s demolition of the previously unbeaten Gt. Witchingham. The Rams bowling heroes of last week were again prominent this week. Mark Smith (3-31) was fast out of the traps when he took two wickets in his first over. Fellow opening bowler James Vandepeer, in for the lame Tim Moses, made it a successful return with 2-35. However, it was Ben Clilverd (4-22) who ended up as the leading wicket-taker as he bagged back-to-back four-fers. Callum Guest then picked up the final wicket as the home side were bowled out for 115, Chris Benjamin’s 42 and Sean Park’s 33 provided the bulk of the runs.

The Rams were soon in trouble themselves as they lost openers Matthew Hague and Waqas Hussain before the score had reached twenty. However, Rishi Patel (released to play by Leicestershire) joined Noah Thain to add 75 for the third wicket. Patel scored 59 in just 47 balls. Thain departed with Callum Guest with the score on 103, before the Rams ‘finisher’ Ethan Guest and that man Clilverd saw the league leaders’ home by five wickets.

Elsewhere Swardeston dug themselves out of a massive hole before scoring an important victory to keep them on the heels of the leaders. The Rams hold a 32 gap at the top.

Sawston and Babraham seconds travelled to Burwell and Exning where they won the toss and decided without hesitation to have a bat. Matt Ellis returned to the starting line up joined the in-form Ben Benson at the top of the innings. They added over a hundred in the first game of the season and this time added 59 before Ellis departed. Benson (42) then fell with the score on 84. The impressive Charlie Lewis (62 from 56 balls) was joined by the other in-form man Ant Phillips and they were just going through the gears when Lewis was out on 170. The home side were back in the contest when 170 for 2 became 204 for 6, with Joe Heather (2-31) and Daniel Baigent (3-41) picking up wickets. Phillips then took the game away as he controlled the closing overs going to a well-deserved hundred, hitting the last ball of the innings for six to take him to 105 not out. This was his maiden century for the Club and it came off just 79 balls with ten fours and for maximums and he ensured the Rams posted an impressive 279 for 7 in their 45 overs.

Skipper Nick Griggs and debutant Matt Lee picked up early wickets before Simon Allen and Tom Newman (62) got the score to 68. Newman was then joined by Heather as they add 52 for the fourth, but any hopes of a win were stifled by Jake Raven’s 1-31 of nine challenging overs as the required rate increased steadily. The loss of Newman and Heather in fairly quick succession sparked a collapse as 120 for 3 became 162 all out. Olly North picking up 3-21 and that man Phillips 4-14, as he picked up a deserved MOM gong as the Rams went clear at the top of the Whitings Premier Three table.

Sawston and Babraham’s 3rd string also maintained their unbeaten start to the season when they visited local rivals Little Shelford. They won the toss and batted, despite losing the experienced Wes Potschul early their two batters of 2020 Sean Jenkins and Sumit Siddarth added 164 for the second wicket before ‘Sid’ was out for 77 (from 64 balls). Jenkins fell agonisingly two runs short of another century with the score on 220, with his knock coming off 91 balls (11 x4, and 3 x6). Ollie Borley’s good form continued as he added 62 not out (from just 48 balls) as the visitors posted an impressive 287 for 4 in their 40 overs.

The home side put in a spirited reply getting to 196 in reply, with Ian Smith (42) and Jamie Harrison (22) getting top order runs Haren Gamage (38) and Vijay Sujedran (21) all making contributions. The strong Rams attack shared the wickets as Tom Champness (3-41), Torin Phelps (2-38) and that man Jenkins (2-1) ensured that they kept their unbeaten run going and kept pace with leader Fen Ditton in Division 3 South. Their win ensured a clean sweep for the Rams.

SBCC seconds travelled to Wisbech on Bank Holiday Monday, expecting a tough challenge. The Rams had gone top of the league on Saturday with their win at then third placed Burwell and Exning. With Wisbech also winning on Saturday they had moved into third place in the league. The home side won the to… The home side must have been hoping for a repeat of Saturday's win when they won a very low scoring contest, but in reply Matthew Hague with a run a ball 64, got the score to 111 for 3 before he became one of Sunny Patel's (3-19) three victims as he shared useful partnerships with Ben Benson (14) and Scott Stanford (12). Saturday's centurion Ant Phillips suffered a rare failure before Alex Stafford with a boundary rich 26 not out saw the Rams over the finishing line for a six-wicket win. Sawston sit top of Whiting's Premier 3, still with an unblemished record and a handy 47 point cushion (from one game more than their rivals)