Just in time……………….

The Rams returned to action and back to the top of the table when they, just, managed a maximum point victory at home to Swardeston.

Swardeston perhaps with one eye on the weather or perhaps a little worried about their current batting fragility won the toss and inserted the home side at Spicers. Charlie Lewis (23) and Callum Guest (44) once again gave the Sawston side an excellent start taking the score to 53 in the twelfth over. An injury to Mark Thomas brought the introduction of Saranga Rajaguru (1-71) and he was soon into the action bowling Lewis. Guest was joined by his Cambridgeshire colleague Noah Thain (79) as they added 72 in just over seventeen overs before Guest became Callum Taylor’s (3-64) first victim. Luke Spears (67) then assisted the youngster, Thain, to add a further 78 runs and take the score into the two hundreds before Thain he was out to Alfie Cooper (6-79). Cooper and Callum Taylor then continued to pick up regular wickets as Alex Stafford (9), Clilverd (16), Spears and Dan Heath (16) all perished in the search of quick runs. Some late runs from Mark Smith (16) propelled the final score to 293 with Smith out on the final ball of the innings. Dan Heath the Sawston skipper must have considered a declaration given his reduced options with the ball as the home side were missing James Vandepeer and Tim Moses (injuries), George Darlow and Nathan Buck.

Jordan Taylor (32) and Harry Barker (34) gave the visitors an excellent platform as they added 57 at around five an over before Smith (1-61) had Barker caught behind, by a brilliant catch by Heath. Swardeston then lost a bit of momentum and a couple of wickets with the score on 74. Clilverd and Peter Hatzoglou sharing the spoils.

This brought two of Swardeston’s most experienced batters together as Callum Taylor (27) and Peter Lambert (20) joined forces. They added forty-three at a lively pace before Clilverd (3-53) removed Lambert and then Rajaguru in consecutive balls. Hatzoglou (3-31) then snared Swardeston skipper Lewis Denmark five balls and one run later as 117 for 3 became 118 for 6. Clearly now it had become a survival challenge for the visitors.

The Rams must have been greatly relieved to see the back of Callum Taylor at 127 for 7 as Hatzoglou weaved his spells. The home side having 25 overs to knock over the last three, game over? However, some stubborn batting from Ben Chapman (15 from 41), Adam Todd (29 not out from 76) and Toby Duncan (9 from 37) meant that the visitors at 185 for 8 had just four overs to survive.

Heath then went to Thain, after an earlier solitary over, and the youngster capped a fantastic day by removing Duncan in the 54th over before castling Thomas with the first ball of the final over to secure a 30 point win.

The Rams needed every one of those five bonus points to climb above Mildenhall and back to the summit of EAPL 2022. The Suffolk outfit recovered from 13 for 3 at fellow Suffolk and title chasing Copdock before an unbeaten 111 not out from Tristan Blackledge took the visitors to 258 for 8. Sam Athurton’s hundred in reply seemed to be taking the home side to at least a draw but Blackledge (3-43) and Jack Loveday (3-45) had other ideas as Mildenhall gained 29 points and a stunning victory. Elsewhere Witham almost chased down Sudbury’s imposing 331 for 7 finishing just five runs short in a drawn game with four centurions. Horsford made the most of a sporting declaration at home to Bury. Frinton beat Great Witchingham to leapfrog their Norfolk hosts and Swardeston at the wrong end of the table. Saffron Walden’s lack of action saw them slip to bottom but they have a game in in hand. These results have seen Sawston and Mildenhall open up a healthy lead over the chasing pack.

Sawston and Babraham II’s travelled to local rivals Saffron Walden II’s hoping to build on last week’s win at promotion chasing Southill Park. The home side won the toss and unsurprisingly decided to have a bat, on what is usually a road, The home side got off to flier as Tom Bonham (29) and Luke Swanston (48) added 63 for the first wicket before Rams skipper Nick Griggs (1-56) snared Bonham. The visitors gained a toe-hold in the match when a superb ten over spell from Sanish Gopalan (2-33) led to the dismissal of Swanston and Alex Jackson (30). Gopalan excellent figures would have been even better had he not been hit for ten in his final two deliveries. Rams veteran Aaron Pledger (1-36) in his first game of the year, as the Sawston side were again hampered by availability issues, had initially helped Gopalan to add some control and he was rewarded by the removal of ex-Walden teammate Finn Carsten. At 133 for 4 the game was evenly poised. However, Walden’s overseas Jack Carroll following up his ton from last week had other ideas. He added 71 with Luke Ormsby (19) before Ormsby and Baldwin were picked up by Chris Dixon (2-41) in an excellent spell and reward for his unlucky opening salvo. The visitors hope of keeping the score below 250 were undone as Walden Skipper Tom Pluck (37 from 26 balls) made hay with Carroll who finished unbeaten on 82 (from 84 balls) before Pluck became Ollie North’s first victim of an injury ravaged season. The innings closed on 273 for 7, an impressive total but certainly gettable on a belter of a track.

The Rams got underway with a scratchy start as both openers Ben Benson (18) and Ian Smith (7) struggled to time any aggressive shots. They both succumbed to Walden’s opening bowlers as Cameron Taylor (1-47) and Henry Rodda (2-54) both made inroads. Ant Phillips (18) also found it hard going but managed to add 48 for the third wicket with Borley (29). Both Phillips and both batters out to the Walden spinners Carroll (1-42) and Oliver Rae (1-33). At 95 for 4 Callum Hale in his third game for the Club was joined by skipper Nick Griggs (23 from 31). They managed to add 67 runs before a patient Griggs edged Carsten behind with the score on 162. The Rams were still in the game and the run rate was manageable. Hale then blended some patient batting to some clean ball striking moving to his maiden 50 for the Rams (64 from 63) before he unnecessarily ran himself out on 184. Gopalan (11), Dixon (28 not out from 30) and Ollie North (5 not out) got the Rams to the full batting points as the innings finished some 43 runs shy at 230 for 8.

SBCC III’s had a successful short trip to Whittlesford where the added to the home side’s miserable run, whilst making it three league wins on the spin. Both sides were hampered by poor availability but the visitors were still surprised to be asked to bat on losing the toss. However, it was looking like a good decision as the visitors lost Wes Potschul (5), James Watson (3), Sumit Siddharth (0) and skipper Jake Ellis (14) all cheaply. Avik Bhattacharjee (3-41) being supported by Will Able (1-23). However, Gareth Everson’s rich vein of form continued as he scored his maiden century for the Club, he finished unbeaten on 109. He received some excellent support from Joe Greenstock, with whom he added 150 match winning runs, and Charlie Borley (12) as the Rams set the home side a 243 run target. Ex-Ram Kumar Venigalla picked up 1-31 from eight overs. The home side despite opener, Conrad Wellstead’s 43 and number three George Anderson’s 20 were never in the hunt as Venigalla (13) was the only other batsman to reach double figures. The ten men were undone by tight spells from Greenstock (1-14), Prashant Yadav (0-15) and Jon Windsor (1-24) before Matthew Free (3-11 and a run out) and Skipper Ellis (2-1) made light work of the lower order. Debutant Oliver Sims, a new recruit late on Friday night, also picked up his first wicket (1-26) in his first game for a number of years as the home side were all out for 110. The win keeps the Rams in third with a big game next week.

The Rams 4th XI given the availability issues for the three more senior sides miraculously managed to field eleven and fulfil the fixture. The Rams had chased down 250+ last week when beaten one of the promotion favourites Northstowe. A return game seven days later was perhaps not great timing for the home side as they lined up at Babraham. This time SBCC were able to bowl out the opposition, who had won the toss and elected to bat, for just 157. The home side having the visitors in all kinds of trouble at 45 for 6 as the home sides mix of youth and extreme experience paid dividends as Sam Russell (1-11), Jeff Free (2-10) and Tom Cotton (3-13) made early inroads. Last week’s hero with the bat Sam Khan (22) helped late order batsman Alok Singh (69 no) take advantage of the home side’s back up bowlers and managed to set a target of 158 despite Rob Wilkinson’s 3-44. Runs upfront from the very very experienced Rob Benson (42) and youngsters Bill Rimell (36) and Guy Savage (18) gave the home side hope as they moved to 100 for 2. However, Alex Matthew (3-45), Singh (2-18) and Joel Davaraj (2-17) then took regular wicket with only Free (16 no) making it to double figures as the visitors ran out winners by 24 runs.