Runners up in 2023!

The Rams could only win and hope that the leaders Swardeston would somehow slip up for a second consecutive match. Sawston however faced a tricky tie away to Mildenhall who were probably the Rams fiercest rivals over the previous two years.

Both sides were missing a few to be considered at their full strength. The Rams put in another solid team performance and despite the strong team ethic within the group one man must be singled out. Already a ‘legend’ to many at the Club Matthew Hague wrote another chapter into Rams folklore. At last week’s presentation evening the Australian was ‘modestly’ pushing the case for a Matthew Hague statue, to commemorate his latest contributions to the Rams Trophy cabinet. Last week he added a Whitings Two league title. This took ‘his’ trophy count this season to four with the Walker Cup win and the Adams Harrison Midweek league and cup double secured earlier. This week he scored the first team’s first EAPL century of the season which was the icing on the cake, the cake being his three-wicket haul in the Mildenhall innings.

On probably the hottest day of the summer Mildenhall won the toss and opted to bat. They had progressed nicely to sixty-nine without loss off just thirteen overs. It was looking like an afternoon of toil in the sun for the Rams. However, that man Hague, who had spent much of the season in the Rams seconds, again opened the bowling and he was rewarded in his seventh over when he trapped Darron Ironside (21) in front. He struck again just four balls later to remove the other opener Matt Allen (45 from 45 balls), whom was stumped by Dan Heath.

Alex Evans (1-36) then joined the party when he had Ollie Jeffries caught by Ben Clilverd. That man Hague struck again two overs later to remove as Heath caught Connor Cobbold (10) as the home side lurched to eighty-eight for four. The home sides struggle continued as the Rams went pace off with the spin options of Kieren MacKenzie and Callum Guest. The spin twins picked up four wickets for just twenty-six runs in sixty-three balls as Mildenhall slumped to one hundred and twenty-one for eight. Guest picking up Blackwell, with MacKenzie snaffling Tom Allen and Thomas Griffin and Luke Spears adding the run-out of Jack Bowman.

As is often the case against the Rams Mildenhall skipper Tristan Blackledge (56 from 60 balls) mounted a counter attack and he found a useful ally in Jonah Handy (13 from 19) as they added forty-nine valuable runs. MacKenzie fresh from his best bowling figures of the year with the seconds then dismissed Handy to register his EAPL season’s best 3-40. Guest (2-43) finally had the Mildenhall skipper caught, by that man Hague, as the hosts were all out for one hundred and seventy-seven.

The Rams innings got off to a poor start when the Rams Captain’s Player of the Year Yousuf Choudhary was caught behind off Blackledge (1-46) with the score on eight. Hague and Spears steadied the ship until Handy slipped a useful delivery through Spears’ (12) defence as the home side struck on fifty-six. Callum Guest joined Hague and the pair added an unbeaten one hundred and twenty-two at a run a ball as the Rams got home by eight wickets in the twenty-ninth over.

Just before the Rams crossed the finishing line Hague became the first Ram to notch a EAPL ton this year, and he eventually finished on one hundred and thirteen (from just 91 balls). Guest in a polished display ending on thirty-nine (57 balls). At quarter past four on the penultimate match day the Rams had gone joint top.

Swardeston however won their game at Copdock by seven wickets to maintain their twenty-five-point lead at the top. Mathematically they still need a solitary point to be crowned 2023 Champions. Perhaps fittingly they will do this next week at home!

The Rams should be proud that despite failing to achieve a hat-trick of titles they are guaranteed a second-place finish. Sudbury beat Bury in a run fest at Friars Street and Frinton beat Witham at home. So, with Bury, Mildenhall and Witham all losing there is still a battle for third place going into the last week. At the bottom Horsford demolished Norfolk rivals Great Witchingham and finished even earlier than the Rams. In the final finish of the day Wisbech had Saffron Walden on the ropes but failed to land the knockout before the Essex side got home by two wickets. The win for Walden puts them sixth and a slim chance of finishing third. The defeat for Wisbech means that Horsford only need five points to put the Fenlanders into the play-offs lottery for the second successive season.