Ex-England star visits Spicers!

Sawston and Babraham have a full house of fixtures this Saturday, and hope for a full house at Spicers to welcome a couple of cricketing stars!

The first team entertain 2024 EAPL ‘everyone’s’ pre-season favourites Great Witchingham. They a very likely to include ex-England spinner Monty Panesar and a big hitting Aussie batsman who had a great season in the Australian Big Bash league Jake Weatherald. Earlier in the season the Norfolk team also had Phil Mustard another former England player in the side. Also registered is current England squad member Olly Stone, however the Norfolk born quick bowler is likely to be on County Championship duty with Nottinghamshire. Witchingham have generated a lot of excitement and interest in what is their Centenary season and would have hoped to have been challenging for the title as the season started.

However a very slow start with only one win in five starts has dented their title ambitions, and they also tasted defeat to fellow EAPL side Witham in the National Cup. It would be naive to write them off as they have a number of quality and experienced players within their ranks led by Norfolk skipper Andy Handy and his Norfolk teammate Brett Stolworthy. Last season’s newboy Drew Beazleigh and the ever-present James Spelman lead the way with the bat. James Hale and Charlie Rogers back them up with bat and ball. As well as the star names they have added Nathan Muggeridge and Alex Stephens to their 2023 squad.

The form book from last year offers no clues as both games were abandoned, which I hope isn’t an omen! It is also the first red-ball one hundred and twenty over game.

The Rams will be keen to build on the two successive wins following a stop-start season so far. They will be hoping that a few days will help with the healing process for some of the walking wounded. The Rams will want the, vice-skipper, Callum Guest to continue with his impressive run with the bat and that Ben Claydon’s fine form continues. New ‘all-rounder’ Lee Thomason will be keen to get some extended time in the middle. Unfortunately Alex Evans’ absence means he will not have the opportunity to score his third successive fifty and perhaps win the biggest hit competition with  Weatherald!. Evans is joined on the sidelines by Jack Beaumont but skipper Dan Heath is pleased to welcome back Yousuf Choudhary and Charlie Lewis to the top order. George Darlow fresh from his best ever figures for the Rams last week will be keen to show that Monty isn’t the only slow left armer in town. The Rams will want James Vandepeer to continue to his fine form with the ball but perhaps with a little more luck this week.

The EAPL’s top game in week six sees second placed Horsford entertain third placed Mildenhall, both sitting on one hundred and four points. Leaders Copdock face an intra-county examination at neighbours Sudbury. Fourth placed Bury travel to meet the unpredictable Frinton. New boys AB Wanderers entertain Norfolk rivals and reigning EAPL champions Swardeston. Saffron Walden travel to Witham for the Essex derby hoping for their first win of the campaign.

The Rams seconds travel to the fantastic wicket at the Leys School to face Old Leysians in a basement battle that both teams will be desperate to win. The Leys old boys have had a terrible start, including a fifty-point penalty for being unable to field a side. They like the Rams are winless in five. That said they have the potential to be a dangerous opposition with the like of Andrew Gale, Andrew and Richard Bramley. They like the Rams have found runs particularly hard to come by. Rams skipper Ant Phillips will hope that he can celebrate his, and Jake Raven’s, birthdays this week with a win. The skipper will be looking for Raven to pick up where he left off last week following his five-fa and that Nick Griggs has a bit more luck to back up his excellent spells. The skipper himself, new lad Miguel Machado and overseas Christy O’Brien will all be hoping to cash in and push on after getting several starts this term in the hope that the more consistent Will Bailey gets a bit more support. He has his fingers firmly crossed that availability will be better this week.

The Third team entertain NCI II’s at Babraham on Saturday. Both sides have had identical starts with one win and two defeats and sit fourth and fifth in Junior 1. The Rams will be confident following last week’s excellent win over league leaders Bassingbourn, that backed up an excellent, if losing, display against Rickling. Skipper Jake Ellis will also be pleased that one or two of his troops have now got some cricket under their belts. As is always the case with club’s second and third teams much will depend on player availability, and the availability of players from the sides above.  Ellis will be delighted if he gets one or two of his players back from the 2nds.

The fourth team begin their league campaign away to their St. Giles counterparts. A few of the squad will have benefitted from a couple of friendly T20 matches against Girton last Sunday, and a few will have had some cricket either in the third’s or possibly in the Midweek XI. New skipper Adrian Platt will be keen to offer opportunities for as many of the Club’s Juniors as they transition into adult cricket, and then blend them with his more or uber experienced players. They face a tough challenge as the opposition are off to a flyer with two wins and a win concession giving them maximum points after three games as they top the division. They have bowled their opposition out for a miserly forty-five and seventeen! in their two wins. They have also posted a two hundred plus score in one of the games. The Rams will perhaps hope that eight-wicket man Amilendra Kodithuwakku continues to excel in the St. Giles thirds following his promotion, but the Rams may need to be wary of fifteen-year-old Advay Nair following his 6-5 spell against Girton!

On Monday the 1st team travel to Mildenhall for an EAPL T20 competition. We face our local rivals Saffron Walden in the second semi-final. The winners, and the omens are against us as we are yet to post an EAPL T20 victory in the four years we’ve been in, will meet the winners of the Mildenhall v Bury first semi.