Batters Day at Spicers!

Sawston and Babraham lined up against Sudbury for their last red ball home game of the season. Sudbury have surprised a few with the resurgence after a couple of relatively quiet seasons following their back to back EAPL wins in 2017 and 2018, and runners up spot in 2019

The Rams lined up, almost inevitably given what has happened this year, with another couple of changes. The welcomed back George Darlow following his injury absence, and gave a debut to his Bedfordshire colleague Alex Evans. This gave the bowling unit a fantastic boost, but the batting unit was unfortunately missing three of its top four as footballer Charlie Lewis joined Luke Spears and Noah Thain on the absent list. Whilst missing this massive amount of individual talent skipper Dan Heath remained confident in the strength of the remaining collective, and buoyed by the Rams head to head record against the Suffolk side.

The visitors won the toss and decided to bat, there was some feeling that the difficult preparation conditions may have left in some assistance for the bowlers. This was quickly dispelled as openers Darren Batch and Lasith Lakshan moved to fifty for no wicket inside fifteen overs.

In comparison there was a buzz around the ground that second placed Mildenhall had incredibly blitzed away the strong Witham batting unit, as they were 25 for 7!

Darren Batch moved to fifty and the partnership to one hundred after twenty-six overs. The Rams squeezed the game as Darlow and Callum Guest bowled in tandem. Batch’s partner then brought up his own half-century eight overs later, but Lakshan was then caught behind off Darlow (1-37) with the score on 125. A second wicket followed quickly as Peter Hatzoglou had Alex Quinn caught by Darlow, just seven runs later (132-2).

Rather than going into their shell the Sudbury batsmen and in particular Ben Parker cut loose as they added 86 runs in fifteen overs. Alex Evans (1-49) then picked up a debut wicket when Parker was out for 56 (from 49 balls) as the third wicket fell on 218 with just nine more overs of the maximum 64 to go.

Opener Batch brought up his century in the sixtieth over. His innings was finally ended on 108 (191 balls) when Tim Moses had him caught behind. He had added forty six runs with Ben Reece. Kenny Moulton- Day then added a breezy fourteen (from 9 balls) as the visitors looked to get the score to three hundred. Peter Hatzoglou (2- 74) picking up his second wicket as did Tim Moses (2-48) when he dismissed James Poulsen two balls later. Reece finished unbeaten on 33 (from 22 balls) as the innings closed on 291 for 6.

At Mildenhall whilst Witham had done brilliantly to recover to 137 all out, did this indicate that conditions had eased and therefore the feeling was that the Suffolk side would chase down this low total and potentially move to the summit of the table.

The Rams weakened batting unit would need to set a new personal EAPL best having chased a massive 284 at Saffron Walden last season. Callum Guest in the absence of his regular opening partner Lewis was joined up top by Hatzoglou. The got off to a flyer by bringing up the fifty partnership in just nine overs. They matched their Sudbury counterparts by also sharing a hundred run partnership, they brought up the ton in just seventeen overs with both scoring 45 runs apiece. Both openers were then dismissed by Matthew Wareing (2-39), unusually used as a fifth bowler, as 121 for no wicket became 126 for 2. Guest falling for 55 (from 71 balls) and Hatzoglou for 56 (74 balls) with Guest now registering 630 league runs for the season.

Alex Stafford (44 from 48) and Nathan Buck then added fifty-eight at a lively pace, to continue to set up the chase perfectly, before Stafford fell to Reece (1-93). Ben Clilverd then joined Buck to add eighty runs in just 78 balls, with a mixture of clean hitting and aggressive running. They were aided by a lightning fast outfield despite some committed fielding on a rock hard surface. Clilverd (37 from 44 balls) fell with the score on 263 as Lakshan (1-34) picked up his wicket. Tim Moses (20 off 15) joined Buck (70 not out from 82 balls) to score the required 29 runs in twenty-five balls to see the Rams home by six wickets and three balls to spare.

The Rams never say die attitude gaining them their second last over red ball win of the season. Talking of never say die, Witham incredibly bowled out Mildenhall out for 131 to win by six runs. Mildenhall’s shock defeat now means the Rams sit twenty eight points clear at the top.

Elsewhere Horsford held on by one run to defeat Saffron Walden and to move up to third above Copdock, who shared the points with Great Witchingham. Swardeston beat Bury to move off the foot of the table and leave Frinton, who had the day off, bottom.