A memorable weekend!

Finally, we had some sparking weather for the weekend but even that was surpassed by the Rams cricket.

Watching cricket at Sawston, at the moment, is not for the faint- hearted. Last week the second team won a classic against nearest challengers Burwell and Exning with two balls to spare, this week the first team game went down to the very last ball.

The Rams were at home to Frinton, the EAPL Champions of 2019, where home skipper Dan Heath won the toss and decided to bat. The blossoming opening partnership of Wayne White and Yousuf Choudhary was re-established, following an injury to the latter, and they once again gave the Rams and excellent start. They had just taken the score to three figures, from twenty overs, when a bit of hesitation and an unfortunate slip led to Choudhary being run out for forty-five (from fifty balls). The visitors were boosted as one and hundred and six for none became one hundred and nine for two when Ben Claydon chipped a ball straight back to the bowler, Troy Johnson. This brought Cambridgeshire captain and vice-captain to the crease as Callum Guest joined White. The pair added seventy-five (from ninety-eight balls) before Guest was also caught and bowled by Johnson (2-30), but in a very different manner to Claydon’s dismissal. Guest made a bright forty-five from just fifty balls. The Rams who had been scoring consistently at around five an over, promoted Alex Evans in order to up the rate. The plan was working as Evans and White added thirty-six runs in just twenty-eight balls. Frinton however, struck back as Josh Frame (3-63) picked up both of the set batsmen within the space of three balls and one run as the innings stalled at two hundred and twenty-one for five. Evans (twenty-three from 17 balls) was the first to go caught in the deep. White in touching distance of the Rams first century of the season was dropped on ninety-nine before he offered Frame a routine caught and bowled off the very next delivery. With just seven overs left the Rams were after late runs to boost the total. Alex Stafford, Ben Clilverd and James Vandepeer all ‘died by the sword’ with all three being victims to the left arm pace of Dylan Howard (3-51). Skipper Dan Heath with twenty-two not out from fifteen balls got the Rams to two hundred and sixty-five from their fifty over. Josh Frame picking up the ninth wicket, for his third, as the Rams finished nine down. The Rams probably would have taken that total at the start, but perhaps felt that they had left an additional twenty-runs in the tank!

The was an early success for the Rams as Evans removed Frame, with the score on twenty. Essex’s Josh Rymell and Frinton’s leading batsman this season Arshane Wijesuriya then moved the score along to ninety-eight of twenty overs. Rymell who had just moved past fifty (fifty-seven from sixty-four balls) before he was acrobatically caught by White off the bowling of Stafford (1-32). Wiijesuriya was joined by Johnson as they added one hundred and ten runs (from one hundred and thirty-three balls). Evans (2-57) returning to the attack as the Rams sought a breakthrough. That left the Essex side requiring a further fifty-eight runs from the remaining forty-five balls (7.7 an over). Kajeai Tharaneetharan then added thirty-five valuable runs with Wiijesuriya off twenty-nine balls. With rate climbing towards nine an over The Rams struck a couple of important blows as James Vandepeer (2-48) picked up Wiijesuriya for ninety-six (from one hundred and thirty-seven balls) and then Howard in the space of four balls in the forty-eighth over, both caught in the deep. There were some excellent field placements, some top class ground fielding and some good bowling disciplines throughout the later stages of the run chase as the Rams defended a very short boundary on one side. This enabled the Sawston side to keep control of the required rate in what was a very tense finish. With the last twelve balls to go the visitors required twenty-three as Vandepeer’s second wicket swung the momentum back toward the Rams. However, Frinton had other thoughts as they plundered thirteen runs from the penultimate over leaving then with ten to get for a stunning win. With only spin options remaining the Rams vice-captain, Guest, took the responsibility to bowl the last over. He started well with a dot and a single (nine required from four) as the pressure built on the visitors. The Frinton skipper Michael Comber was within inches of winning the game when a lusty blow to deep mid-on was somehow clawed back into play by Wayne White at full stretch. Although Frinton scored two White had saved four. Frinton now needing seven from three. Guest marginally over-pitched and Comber found the boundary to leave the visitors needing three of the last two balls, or two singles to tie! The Rams also knew that a defeat or even a tie would probably end their title challenge. Guest (1-30) held his nerve with the fifth ball being a dot before he bowled Comber off the last ball as the Rams held on by two runs.

Swardeston also recorded another victory this time at home to Wisbech to maintain their lead at the top. Bury maintained their hopes whilst probably cementing a top three finish when they beat Mildenhall. Witham leapfrogged Walden with an impressive win. As did Sudbury away at Great Witchingham. Horsford made in back-to-back wins as they added Copdock’s scalp to Mildenhall’s the week before.  In the process they have almost built up a safety cushion from Wisbech at the foot of the table.

A depleted Rams second team squad travelled to Castor and Ailsworth knowing that only a victory would keep them top of Whiting’s’ Two.

The day started badly when the home side won the toss and unsurprisingly opted to bowl on what looked like a bit of a green seamer. The Rams fears were quickly realized as they found themselves at forty-three for five. Only Matthew Hague (20) and Christy O’Brien (13) made it to double figures as Stuart Dockerill picked up four early wickets with Ben Benson, Matthew Day, O’Brien and the skipper Ant Phillips being his victims. Hague was picked up by the other opening bowler Vignesh Srivathsan as the Rams began to have feelings of déjà vu following last season’s miserable trip to Castor. Ollie Borley in from the third team dug in and formed a useful partnership with Will Bailey as the pair added an invaluable forty-six runs before Borley (with eight from a marathon sixty-five balls) was bowled by Tom Beale (1-41). Another third teamer Joe Latham (17 from 33 balls) then assisted Bailey to add a crucial forty-three runs before Latham became Dockerill’s fifth victim (5-16). This wicket was the first in what was a flurry of wickets as Bailey, who had just completed an excellent half century (80 balls), and Jake Raven were both dismissed by Srivathsan (3-44) with just a further five runs added to the total. The last pair, both promoted from the third’s, James Petzer (9 no from 27) and Mervyn Shaji (6 from 9) then got the total to 151 as the Rams incredibly batted through to the forty-seventh over despite the desperate start.

The Rams turned up the pressure when opening bowlers Shaji (1-20) and Bailey (1-41) both picked up early wickets to leave the hosts on 15 for 2. Ingle (8 from 29) and Rodgers (21 from 30) then steadied the ship to take Castor to 51 for 2. The introduction of spin twins Raven and Hague paid immediate dividends as the home side lost five wickets for eleven runs in forty-four balls. Surely game over at 62-7. Ryan Evans (43 from 42) and Srivathsan (27 not out from 50) had other ideas as they added 78 runs and they were looking like they would snatch an unlikely victory, to dash the Ram’s title ambitions. Hague returned to pick up three wickets in four balls as he finished with 4-13 with Raven also getting another four wickets in the match (4-36). Hague sits at the top of the Division’s run scoring table with Raven second in the bowling.

The third team faced an impossible task of trying to preserve their league status given that they were very depleted by holidays and second team call ups as they travelled to Icketon. The hosts had an outside chance of promotion and sat second in the table. They two were a bit weakened as they opted to keep their second team as strong as possible in their relegation battle. This plan backfired as the visitors won the toss and inserted the home side. The skipper put his faith in the Saeb-Parsy brothers to open the bowling. Sixteen-year-old Arya (4-20) and fourteen-year-old Nima (1-18) delivered for the skipper. The skipper, Jake Ellis, then helped himself to four wickets (4-9) and Jason Metson (1-3) the other as only Lou Osman (13) made it to double figures as the home side were dismissed for 54.

The visitors opened up with their mister reliable Wes Potchul (21 no) and debutant Rajiv Ladva (25 no) as the Rams romped home by ten wickets in just nine and a bit overs. After being rock bottom for most of the season the Rams will probably need one victory from the remaining two games to stay the Junior 1 division.

The Third Team made Club history when the appeared to the Walker Cup Finals Day on Sunday. Sawston have won the Walker Cup twice before and Sawston and Babraham once but on each occasion, it was the Club’s second team that had made it to the finals.

They were drawn in the first semi of the T20 tournament against Histon III in what was the battle of the minnows with both sides from the CCA Junior leagues. In the Walker Cup you are allowed just two players that have played three or more games for a higher ranked team from within your Club, Skipper Jake Ellis opted to use second team spin twins Matthew Hague and Jake Raven as his two picks. The rest of the team were third and fourth teamers.

In the semi the Rams lost the toss and were asked to bat. Solid contributions from the top four Hague (51 from 41balls), Joe Latham (20 from 20), Ollie Borley (32 from 33) and Andy Leonard (14 from 12) meant that the Rams posted a challenging 141 in their twenty overs.

Histon were chasing quite well with Stuart Cronin going well (49 from 36) when Raven ran him out. Mervyn Shaji (3-23) and Hague (2-13) then picked up regular wickets to ensure that the reply lost momentum. Raven, Tom Champness and the skipper each picked up a wicket to ensure that the Rams won by twenty-six runs.

In the second semi between the two Senior league sides Thriplow got home in the last over when chasing Horseheath’s 93 all out.

Thriplow won the toss and asked the Rams to bat. Like in the semi Sawston’s top three made solid contributions as Hague (34 for 31), Latham (33 from 38) and Borley (28 from 31). The cumulative impact of better bowling and a tiring pitch meant that Thriplow were delighted to restrict the Rams to 114. Andrew Woolley (2-12) and Dan Tinkler (2-16) ensured that none of the middle order could get starts to increase the rate.

The Rams bowlers were fast out of the blocks as Tom Champness (2-27) picked up a couple including Thriplow’s dangerman Scott Douglas. Mervyn Shaji also picked up three in an early salvo and Hague another that left the Thriplow reply in tatters at 33 for 6. Jeeva Subranamiam (43 from 46) and Will Hart (14 from 25) gave the Senior league and their supporters some home. However, an assessment that Borley’s ‘skiddy’ bowling may be useful on this type of track paid dividends as the occasional bowler (under utilized in his words) dismissed Hart. The wicket and the concession of just three runs closed the door on the reply. Shaji returned to pick up two in two balls, including Subranamiam, at the start of the eighteenth; this meant the young paceman had bagged a hat-trick since he had taken a wicket with the last ball of his third over (at the end of the fifth). Shaji finished with 5-10 and a much-deserved Man of the Match award. Hague (2-4) picked up the last wicket to give the Rams the Cup with a 32-run victory.

Skipper Jake Ellis picked up the Cup which mean the prolific skipper now has three trophies in the cabinet this year with the Walker Cup adding to an Adams Harrison Midweek league and cup double.