Rams falter on day 1!

The Rams 2024 EAPL campaign started on Saturday but they suffered a disappointing defeat away at Horsford. Whoever is in charge of player recruitment at the Norfolk club must have sat back in their chair with a very contented look on Saturday night. Their latest recruit Jordan Neil, a South African, had the dream debut by taking a hat-trick on the way to figures of 6-43 before hitting an unbeaten eighty to take the home side to a comfortable seven wicket victory.

The Rams won the toss and skipper Dan Heath, unusually given the time of year decided to bat. The decision looked vindicated as Callum Guest and Yousuf Choudhary completed the first half-century partnership of the season, before moving on to sixty without loss in the fifteenth over. The serene progress made by the openers made what followed in the next twenty-three balls even more startling as sixty for none became seventy-two for six as Neil picked up four of Cambridgeshire’s batsmen in Choudhary (33), Ben Claydon (1), Lee Thomason (2) and Ben Clilverd (0) and then added Sawston debutant Ethan Rice to complete a hat-trick. Ryan Findlay (1-33) added the wicket of another Sawston debutant Jack Beaumont (1), the Suffolk skipper, from the other end as Sawston’s vice-captain Callum Guest looked on in disbelief from the non-striker’s end. Alex Evans (10) and James Vandepeer, a late addition to the squad following Noah Thain’s eleventh hour call up to the Essex first team, followed to leave the Rams lurching at ninety-five for eight. Another Horsford debutant William Bowman (2-11) picking up them both. The Rams, typically, then rallied as the skipper joined the vice skip as they batted patiently and largely untroubled to add sixty-five valuable runs. Heath (22 from 67) perished as he tried to hit the accelerator in the last few overs with the irrepressible Neil picking up his sixth. George Darlow on his return to the Club lifted the score to 171 before he contributed to the run out of Guest with still six balls to go. Guest scored seventy precious runs (from 128 balls) to help give the innings some sort of respectability.

Ethan Rice (2-32) gave the Rams some early hope as he removed Jason Reynolds (1) and Ethan Metcalf (1) with the score on just eighteen. Bowling in tandem with Beaumont the Rams were not giving the home side any free hits. However, home skipper Neil Hornbuckle (52 from 99) and that man Neil (80 not out from 114) steadied the ship before being a little more expansive. With little or no scoreboard pressure they added eighty-one runs (from 130balls) before Heath caught his Horsford counterpart off Clilverd (1-28) just before the Norfolk side hit three figures. William Rogers (28 no from 48) then batted sensibly and without much trouble to support the man of the Match Jordan Neil as they added an unbeaten seventy-six (from 104 balls) to take the Norfolk side to a seven wicket win in the forty-seventh over. The Rams leaving Norfolk with just two bonus points and an early dent to their title ambitions.

Elsewhere the pre-season favourites Great Witchingham lost a nail biter by just four runs despite impressive performances from ex-England star Monty Panesar (3-36) and ex- Durham and Lancashire wicket-keeper batsman Phil Mustard (65). Former Rams favourite Mark Smith removed the Witches top scorer Drew Beazleigh (76) before effecting last over run-out to help Bury St. Edmunds to a terrific win. Mildenhall had a superb win to defeat defending champions, Swardeston, by twenty-eight runs in a game that threatened to get away from them at one point. Copdock overcame Saffron Walden by four wickets. Newboys AB Wanderers had a tough baptism as they were bowled our for 142 and left Sudbury with just a solitary point from their EAPL debut. The other game between Frinton and Witham was, perhaps surprisingly, the only casualty to the Spring weather.

The Rams second string making their debut in the Cambridgeshire and Hunts Premier Division One got off to a fantastic start when they won the toss an inserted Histon. They had reduced the visitors to thirty-eight for three including the impressive Cambridgeshire colt Henry Wilson (19) as Will Bailey (2-31) and Sean Ward made early inroads. When Jake Paris affected a run out and Jake Raven (2-21) picked up his first wicket combined with Histon’s Jake Allcock picking up an injury Histon found themselves struggling at sixty-nine for five. However, Histon’s overseas Dan Cummins (49) and skipper Ben Leach then added fifty-two valuable runs before the former became Julius Jackson’s first victim for his new Club (1-14). Ward (3-33) then returned to the attack to pick up a couple of wickets with Raven picking up his second of the day as the innings closed on 129.

The Rams reply never got going as half the side were back in the hutch with just sixteen on the board with John Turner (4-12), Malik Ahmer (2-16) and a run out inflicting early damage. Jake Paris (16) and Will Bailey (38) managed to add thirty to the total before Paris became a second run-out victim. Stand in skipper Nick Griggs and Ward followed in quick succession to Turner before Leach removed the stubborn Bailey and Oliver Humphreys to put the wounded Rams out of their misery. However, ten bonus points with a slightly depleted side was a good result. Fellow promoted side Burwell and Exning pulled off the result of the round when they defeated Wisbech on their return to the Cambs league following their year in the EAPL.