Rams go back to back, back to back ……………..

The broad smile on Ben Claydon’s face as he left the pitch after both halves of the match against Sudbury was a sign that the Rams new signing is, after a stuttering start, beginning to enjoy his time at Spicers. The new recruit was perhaps the ‘star’ of the show, and the pizza van ran him a pretty close second!, but as I am sure skipper Dan Heath will stress it was again a very solid team performance.

Sudbury won the toss and following about two weeks of sun, or at least no rain, it was the easiest decision of the summer so far to elect to bat. This was also a brave decision given the Suffolk’s sides comparative lack of runs this term. Last year’s red ball game at Spicers was a classic with Sawston getting home with three balls to spare in a six hundred run match. It was beginning to look like another long day in the field for the Cambridgeshire side as Sudbury weathered an excellent opening spell from Alex Evans and James Vandepeer. They had moved to seventy four for one, with Adam Mansfield (16 from 33) being well caught by Kieren Mackenzie off Evans (1-25).

The drinks break allowed Mark Smith (2-30) to reset his radar and he was immediately rewarded by up the wicket Kenny Moulton-Day (18 from 26) and then the prized wicket of Darren Batch (31 from 73). Claydon then entered the fray to remove the Ben’s, Parker and Reece. In the Rams battle of the Ben’s Sawston’s Clilverd (2-20) then dismissed Md Abu Sufian and Thomas Lawrence as seventy four for one became 119 for 7. Sudbury’s overseas Jordan Morris (25 from 37) with help from the tail then frustrated the home side before he became a third victim to Claydon with the score on 141. Nazir Khan (16 from 50) and skipper Paddy Sadler (17 from 19) were just becoming annoying before Claydon removed then both to finish with his first Rams five-fer (5-55) for the man wearing number fifty-five on his back!

Earlier in the season this ‘failure’ to close out the innings would have been a worry however with the confidence of last week’s solid batting and the better surface meant that the Rams were in a much better place. The opening partnership formed last week between Wayne White (27) and Charlie Lewis (27) added a second consecutive over fifty run partnership. Lewis is clearly going to learn to bat without White as for the second week running he followed his partner back to the Pavilion shortly after White’s dismissal. This week they were both undone with the score on fifty-five (what is it about that number), both victims of Reece (2-27).

With the Rams having a massive seventy-one overs to knock off the runs Kieren Mackenzie was promoted up the order to number three and was joined by the regular number four Claydon. This pair added an unbeaten 111 as the Mackenzie scored a patient 42 (from 126) and Claydon capped a fine day by hitting his maiden half century (not counting the ones for Copdock) at Spicers to finish on 65 not out (from 122). This gave the Rams back to back red ball victories in their quest to catch the early season leaders in EAPL 2023.

They recovered some ground on top two Saffron Walden and Bury who shared the spoils in a game that ebbed and flowed. Mildenhall took advantage as they beat Horsford to reach the summit. Elsewhere Swardeston (v Frinton) and Copdock (v Wisbech) joined the Rams with their own back to back red ball victories as they climbed the table. Great Witchingham won the basement battle to record their first win of their campaign. Talking of back to back achievements the prolific Sam Athurton hit a consecutive hundred, he was joined on the honours board this week by Yaseen Valli and Lewis Denmark.

The Rams seconds enjoyed their own back to back winning performance following last week’s ten wicket win over Waresley. This week they enjoyed an early season ’double’ with a victory in the Club’s first ever visit to Biggleswade. Matthew Hague who has been showing glimpses of improved form of late confirmed a return to top form as he and his opening partner Will Bailey (34 from 59) added 110 for the first wicket in the first twenty overs. James Guage (1-46) removing Bailey. A busy Marc Pearson then joined the Aussie as they added a further ninety-runs in just seventy-two balls. Pearson out after a boundary laden fifty-five (off 42). The fireworks didn’t end there a Christy O’Brien joined Hague. The Bedfordshire side’s hearts must have dropped on his arrival as he had scored an unbeaten 87 against them in the reverse fixture! The Kiwi added just thirty-two (from 33 balls) this time as the pair added another fifty-eight just after Hague had gone to three figures (off 104 balls). Griggs and Hague then perished in the chase for more runs as Thomas Boyd (2-61) picked them both up. The veteran Hague running on empty as he finished on 134 from 129 balls. Skipper Ant Phillips (33 from 18) and Matt Worsdale (15 not out from ensured that the Rams posted an imposing 336 for 7 in their fifty overs. Sam Oakins with 3-81 from nine eventful overs was the most successful home bowler.

The home reply was soon in trouble as a fired up Bailey (3-53) and opening partner Worsdale (2-17) and a comical run out had the home side on there knees at 65 for 5. The lower middle order and tail then secured some respectability as the Boyd’s, Thomas (21) and George (14), together with contributions from Robinson (18), Fensome (22) and Manthorpe (18) pushed the home side to 168 all out. Scott Stanford (2-37), Jake Raven (1-25), Bailey and the skipper Phillips (1-3) closed out the innings to give the Rams a 168 run victory.

The Rams advanced to round three of the National Cup, and a tricky looking trip to Wanstead and Snaresbrook, after a comfortable victory against Bourne (Lincs). Sawston skipper Dan Heath won the toss and had no hesitation in deciding to bat as they were using the excellent wicket from Saturday.

There were a number of changes from the Saturday line up with player’s away, including one on Minor Counties duties, and a late injury replacement. The Cambridgeshire side were fortunate to have Leicestershire’s Louis Kimber available for the tie, doubly useful as Kimber has played a lot of cricket in Lincolnshire.

Despite losing his opening partner Wayne White early, the fluent Kimber added fifty-one with Kieren Mackenzie (20 from 38 balls) and then a further sixty seven with Callum Guest before he was dismissed for eighty-eight off just sixty-two balls. With seventeen overs of the allotted forty still to be bowled Guest (63 no from 62 balls) anchored the Sawston innings allowing the other batsmen to play aggressively. He added forty-four runs with Ben Clilverd (22 from 27) and then twenty-nine with Christy O’Brien (17 from 11) as the score passed the two hundred mark. Guest continued serenely as wickets fell regularly at the other end in the search of quick runs. Skipper Dan Heath then added a valuable twenty runs with his vice-captain as the innings closed on 249 for 8. Skipper Jack Berry (3-66) and opening bowler Corey Young (2-39) were the most successful bowlers for the Lincolnshire Premier outfit.

Although it was a useful total there was a certainly a degree of optimism from the visitors that it was a score they were capable of chasing. The reply started fluently with both openers punishing of any delivery that strayed towards the pads. However, the home side made a breakthrough when Guest took a superb low catch to dismiss Berry with score on thirty-six off the bowling of Alex Evans (1-27). Bourne had progressed to fifty-seven with opener Jordan Temple and Jonathan Cheer, the latter had made a match winning ton in the last round.

However, Wayne White, with his first spell for the Club accounted for them both, one thanks to a ‘worldie’ from keeper Heath. White added a third (3-16) to leave the visitors precariously placed at seventy-seven for four. Peter Morgan (41 no from 53) dug in and with help from Robert Bentley added forty-four runs. The ‘reluctant’ bowler Guest removed Bentley and then had a second wicket the very next ball. Guest (4-18) then picked off the tail, leaving Morgan stranded, as he and fellow spinner Mackenzie (2-45) closed out the reply for 142.