RAMS & Walden serve up a cracker on VP Day!

Sawston and Babraham spoil the Saffron Walden’s VP day as teams served up a feast of cricket for guest of honour Mike Gatting.

Saturday was the Vice President’s Day celebration and Mike Gatting was there as guest of honour / speaker. Thankfully for both the match and the ‘do’ the forecast storms stayed away, with all the flash and bangs confined to the field of play. Sawston skipper Dan Heath again won the toss and inserted the opposition knowing that the quality of the surface at the Anglo-American Playing Field is a tough place to bowl sides out on. James Vandepeer (1-41) made an early breakthrough removing Walden’s stand in opener Micky Wallis with just 11 on the board. Ex-Sawston player Ali Russell was joined at the crease by Walden’s overseas and former South African test player Zubayr Hamza and they added 105 runs in 26 overs. Ben Clilverd then removed the latter for 59 (from 70 balls, 6x4, and three maximums). When George Darlow removed Russell (54 from 108 balls) and Alex Sears in three balls the hosts had slipped to 124 for 4. Any hopes of a challenging score then rested with the Crocus’s young ‘flowers’.

The most promising of these emerging blooms delivered spectacularly as Nikhil Gorantla hit an unbeaten 103 from just 100 balls. He added 98 with another youngster Alex Peirson (28) who at first dug in as the Rams spin duo Darlow (2-42 from 18 overs), and Callum Guest (1-43 from 10) turned the screw. The Walden youngster then added 33 with Skipper Ben Harris another 28 with Stan Leech (15 not out) bringing up his impressive ton just before the home side’s innings closed on 283 for 6.

This would probably have been a daunting task just about anywhere else in the league but at Walden is about par. The home side would also be carrying the uncertainties having failed to defend a similar total in the previous week and being on a miserable run of five successive defeats. They too struck early with the usually dependable Charlie Lewis dismissed by Cambridgeshire’s Ali Hancock (3-83), who was in excellent form in Cambridgeshire’s NCCA 50 over quarter-final win last Sunday.

The Rams top run scorer Matthew Hague was joined by the in-form Rishi Patel, fresh from an excellent 70 for Leicestershire. Hague not at his fluent best settled into the anchor role as he added 76 with Patel before being dismissed by Sears (1-71). The chase looked to be faltering when Patel (86 from 84 balls), Waqas Hussain (23) and Moses were dismissed as 124 for 2 became 159 for 5. Walden’s Jack Ormsby (2-61) and that man Gorantla (1-44) picking up the wickets. That left the visitors needing 125 from the last twenty overs with just five wickets left. They were boosted with some unexpected support as the Sawston 2nd XI turned up to offer support following their early finish. The ‘fans’ were rewarded as Callum Guest (42 from 52) and Clilverd (57 from 47) added 83 runs in just 71 balls. Both were dismissed by Hancock who gave the home side some brief hope, but Clilverd added a further 29 with Darlow before falling just short of the winning line. Darlow with 23 not out from just 20 balls and skipper Heath then saw the Rams home by three wickets.

The day got even better for the Rams as leaders, Gt. Witchingham and third placed Bury both suffered shock defeats to Horsford and Mildenhall. These results meant that Sawston replaced Gt. Witchingham at the top, by a slender nine points, with Bury losing a bit of ground. Swardeston’s return to action and win over Cambridge means they cast a vast shadow, being just 46 points adrift but having three games in hand. This means they are still title favourites if they can complete their fixtures.

The Rams 2nd XI sixth successive victory cemented their position at the top of Whitings Three with a full 30-point win, opening up the gap at the top as rivals Southill Park and Biggleswade could only register 25- point victories. The visitors Wisbech had a bit on a day to forget as car problems left them one short and scrambling around to get started on time. They won the toss and decided to bat. They however lost regular wickets with only youngster Thomas Hoyle (24) from a patient 70 ball stay offering much in the way of resistance. After the Rams opening bowlers Oli North (1-21) and Will Bailey (1-14) had made early inroads it was left to the experienced trio of Sean Jenkins (2-23 in nine), AP Stafford (3-9 in and Scott Stanford (2-0) to do the real damage as the 10-men were dismissed for 83 in the 31st over.

The Rams success with the bat this season has been built around some fantastic opening partnerships. However, the visitors were given a boost as a mix up led to Josh Jordan being run-out without facing a ball. Skipper Ben Benson and Stanford then added 71 before a straight drive from Stanford via the bowler’s finger tips meant that the skipper was run-out while at the non-strikers end. AP Stafford with two boundaries in three balls ensured that there were no other bizarre modes of dismissal as the Rams won by 8 wickets in just under thirteen overs.

A Sawston 3rd XI weakened by players stepping up to the 2nds and availability issues managed top keep the pressure on the top two in Division 3s when they defeated Ashdon by 31 runs on Saturday. Third team skipper Jake Ellis grateful for help from the fourth eleven and in particular a number of their youngsters. Things were not looking good at 11 for 2 after ten overs. However, Scott Barker hit a career best, and his second career century, as he made 110 not out as the Rams added another 186 runs in the final thirty overs. Sean Ward with 37 made sure that the visitors set a challenging total. Ashdon were cruising to victory before they lost a flurry of wickets to run out of steam on 166. Occasional bowler Chris Kerby doing the late damage with four wickets to back up Dom Cameron 2-18 and an excellent spell from Joe Latham.

Teenager Latham carried this good form into Sunday’s Lower Junior Cup quarter final at home to Girton II’s at Babraham. He hit 26 not out (from 19 balls) and then took 5-7 in his four overs. Ian Smith with 67 from 42 balls and Wes Potschul 61 (from 45) had set the tone with a 112-opening partnership as the holders posted an impressive 187 for 3 in their 20 overs. Girton never got going and thanks to Latham, Dom Cameron (1-12 from 4) and fellow teen Ayra Saeb-Parsy (1-7 from 2) they succumbed for 78. The holders progressing to the Finals Day, their third consecutive appearance.

Sawston and Babraham 1sts exited the Conference Cup in the worst possible way when they lost on a toss of a coin to East Molesley, the Surrey Premier League side. This capped a miserable day for the Rams who lost Matthew Hague for the rest of the season with a broken leg following a pre-match warm up incident.

With the first team in Cup action, it was left to a 2nd team dominant squad to defend the Club’s honour in its bi-ennial fixture against the MCC. The visitors set an imposing 260 for 7, in 54 overs, as local players Dougie Rice (107 from 140 balls), Ben Harris (50 from 40) and Edward Hyde (23 not out) all contributed. Ashley Clarke (48) fell just short of a half century as Scott Stanford (2-72) and Nick Griggs (2-32) picked up braces. Sean Ward and Club captain Aaron Pledger also picked up wickets. In reply Tom Barnard (37), Luke Wood (24) and skipper Nick Griggs (31) ensured the home side finished on a respectable 150 for 6, before the promised rains finally arrived to end the fixture as a draw. There were three wickets for Foxton’s Ravi Mahendra and one for Rams Old boy Tim Lomas.