Week 2 time!

The Rams first eleven are chomping at the bit to get back on the field and get their season back on track following last week’s disappointing performance and result.

They were dealt a blow early in the week when Ethan Rice, one of the few positives from last week, reported an injury that will stop him making his home debut on Saturday. Ethan is not likely going to be able to bowl for a few weeks, and we wish him well for a speedy recovery. We are fortunate that James Vandepeer, our long-standing new ball bowler, should be fit enough to bowl this week as he recovers from a niggle picked up in Australia (where he wintered). Skipper Dan Heath gives the rest of the defeated team from Horsford a chance to redeem themselves.

On Saturday, we hope, to welcome Bury St. Edmunds and especially our old boy Mark Smith (no doubt accompanied by parents Dave and Kim) to Spicers. The Suffolk side enjoyed the narrowest of victories, by four runs, when they defeated pre-season title favourites Great Witchingham in last week’s thriller. Bury finished just behind us in third place in 2023 and will therefore provide a stern test on Saturday. They feature a couple of Cambridgeshire u-25, in Alex Maynard and Will Routledge who will complete the top order with overseas Nikethan Radhadkrishnan. They will have the experienced Josh Cantrell at the helm and he will be supported by the vastly experienced Tom Rash. Last year the spoils were shared as both sides enjoyed home wins in EAPL 2023.

Although the forecast is again at best mixed, the omens might be better as last year despite the weather the home side got home by seven wickets in a reduced overs game. Although Bury will be pleased that neither White or Kimber, who both went big, are in the Rams line up this weekend.

I suspect there are a large number of scorers throughout East Anglia brushing up their DLS processes in readiness!

Elsewhere in the league Frinton (away to new boys AB Wanderers) and Witham (at home to Horsford) will hope to get their respective campaigns underway follow last week’s cancellation. Two of the unbeaten sides meet when Mildenhall entertain Sudbury.  Great Witchingham will want to get underway when they entertain first week winners Copdock. Two of last weekend’s beaten sides will be looking to get off the mark in 2024 when reigning champions Swardeston visit Saffron Walden.

The second team have no chance to dwell on last week’s disappointment with the willow as they face Foxton Granta, at Foxton, on Saturday. Although it is comfortably the shortest road trip of the season it is arguably one of the toughest trips, as Foxton and now Foxton Granta have been one of the sides to beat in this division for over a decade. The Rams will be hoping to catch the home side cold as the Foxes missed out last week when their game at the picturesque Southill Park was a victim of the weather.  Foxton again look an experienced outfit with the likes of Lewys Hill, Dougie Rice, Johnny Atkinson, Adam Webster and Alex Hooley among their ranks. They will be hoping Harry Hopwood and Kaif Iqbal continue to impress after excellent campaign’s last year and have added new overseas Fergus Fergusson into the mix.

The Rams welcome back skipper Ant Phillips but have lost Nick Griggs (away) and Julius Jackson (promoted to the 1st team). The skipper will be grateful to welcome the experienced Sean Jenkins who is having his second go at the Onyx Premier (Cambs and Hunts Premier) having been a Ram’s first team regular a few years back. Third team youngster and promising Cambridgeshire u-14 batsman Henry Cotton gets another chance to impress, following his debut last year.

The third team are due to get their season started with a friendly against Girton. The playing surface, on clay and surrounded by trees at Babraham is totally different to the open area and chalk base of Spicers and as a result is significantly wetter. The game at this point is in danger. Skipper Jake Ellis non-the-less will be hoping to get some cricket in before the start of their league campaign next week. With end of season football eating into his resources he will be keen to run his eye over a few new recruits, and a few juniors who will be a year older and a year more experienced. As a Cambridge United fan, he will be keen to play some cricket to take his mind of the U’s relegation scrap!

On Sunday our quest for National Cup glory in 2024 starts with a fixture against North Middlesex. The opposition ply their trade in the Middlesex County Cricket League 1st XI Premier Division. Their current league season doesn’t get underway until 12th May. They finished fifth last year but were in touching distance of all the sides that finished above them.  Looking at the stats they look a strong batting unit who won their T20 local group and made it through to the T20 finals day, and made it as far as round three in the Bertie Joel Conference Cup. So again, a tough test for the Rams particularly as a fixture clash means a number of our squad are away with Minor Counties sides.