Sawston and Babraham step into new era with new challenge!

The Rams start their defence of their East Anglian Premier League (EAPL) title with a home game against the most successful side in the Competition’s twenty-four year history, Swardeston. The visitors have seven titles to their name as well as major successes in the National finals. They are also one of only two sides to win three EAPL titles in succession; a feat the Sawston side would dearly like to emulate.

Whilst the visitors have a largely unchanged squad which will again feature Saranga Rajaguru who finished as the leading wicket-taker the 2022 EAPL the Rams have, for the first time for a few seasons, a number of personnel changes. In the winter the Rams lost Tim Moses a Whitings and double EAPL league winner with the Rams and fellow double EAPL winner George Darlow. In addition, they also lost a couple of first class cricketers, and blokes, who contributed towards the 2022 success in Nathan Buck and Peter Hatzoglou.

However, we are still grateful and fortunate that we still boast a strong nucleus of long serving Rams spearheaded by Mark Smith who is the longest serving member of the squad. Skipper Dan Heath was also delighted to finally capture long term target Ben Claydon who will strengthen the squad with bat and ball. As will Kieren MacKenzie, a Kiwi leg spinner and mid order batsman who has in the past represented both Cambridge Granta and Cambridgeshire. We have also picked up Louis Kimber who is on the books at Leicestershire and has been a prolific run scorer for Lincolnshire. The Club is also pleased to give Yousuf Choudhary, a promising player from Cambridgeshire’s U-18’s, the opportunity to progress. Having James Vandepeer back from injury and having retained Vandepeer’s 2022 injury replacement Alex Evans it will also feel like a couple of new signings. All four of the new boys are set for debuts on Saturday.

Sawston met Swardeston in their first game of 2022, and were fortunate that the Norfolk side had a number of key player’s away at a wedding. The Rams are expecting a tougher match to commence this year’s program. It will be interesting to watch the early results, as the inclement weather has interrupted all the teams pre-season preparations, and there may be some strange results as teams find their feet.

Back to back titles was a big effort and achieving a hat-trick will be, at least, just as difficult. Whilst I think the Rams will be happy with the assembled squad, and in particular with availabilities looking more settled than in 2022 there will still be some question marks to answer. In the past even with the individual talent available ‘the whole has always been greater than the sum of parts’ and the shared team spirit, togetherness and sheer bloody-mindedness not to get beat has served them well over the last couple of seasons.

The new squad will need all of this to achieve their aims. The Club is also pleased to welcome back 2021 EAPL winner and ‘legend’ Matthew Hague, perhaps for a last hurrah. However, with the likes of Noah Thain, Charlie Lewis, Callum MacLean and Alex Stafford still to fit into the squad his opportunities may be restricted. Who will be the 2023 EAPL challengers Mildenhall, Great Witchingham and Sudbury will have to be respected given their recent records. But you can also make cases for most of the other sides and you can never discard past winners like Swardeston or even a resurgent Frinton. The past has shown that the league is very competitive and most sides can beat anyone on their day. The 2023 EAPL also sees a second Cambridgeshire side enter the competition with Wisbech holding their nerve to win a nail-biting play-off game to cap a fine 2022 season, and we wish them well.

The Rams second team led by new skipper Ant Phillips begin their season with a new T20 competition on Saturday. Phillips will be looking for more consistency in personnel and performance from the side who debuted in Whitings Two last year. His squad will hopefully be boosted by the depth and better availability from the first team as well as an ‘overseas’ in the shape of wicket-keeper batsman Christy O’Brien. Christy is a club cricketer from Auckland and a teammate of Kieren Mackenzie.