A Thrilling day of Red ball cricket & FINALLY a T20 win!

Sawston and Babraham were visited by Great Witchingham who included two ex-England internationals and one Australian Big Bash and Sheffield Shield star. The players from both sides served up one the best games of cricket that I’ve seen in my very long involvement with the game, easily outdoing the IPL final.

I’m not sure where to start with this match and know for certain that my limited literary skills cannot possibly do the match justice. It had been a tough week once again for all the groundstaff with Sawston having the added complication that their main man was on holiday. Our volunteers had worked hard to get a strip ready but it was clear that a lack of sun and the need to keep the wicket covered for much of the week that the ‘green-top’ surface would be fancied by the bowlers.

Witchingham’s skipper Andy Handy struck the first blow by winning the toss. He and fellow opening bowler, Brett Stolworthy, who both play for Norfolk, were soon testing the Ram’s batting in the first red-ball (120 over) game of the season. With the ball moving both ways the Rams openers, with Yousuf Choudhary returning to the side to partner Callum Guest, did remarkable well not to get an edge on some excellent deliveries and avoid some close leg before appeals. However, Stolworthy did make a break through at the end of the sixth over having Choudhary caught behind by Sam Groves with the score on nineteen.  Guest was joined by Charlie Lewis who came back into the side to replace Jack Beaumont. The pair hung in there whilst given a comprehensive workover by the Norfolk duo. They had managed to add twenty-one runs in six overs but Guest was then trapped leg before to give Stolworthy his second wicket. Ben Claydon came in but was soon undone by Alex Stephens who had replaced Handy from the Cemetery end. This was our first look at Stephens who had joined the Witches at the start of the season. Lee Thomason joined Lewis and they managed to get the Rams score to fifty in the twenty-second over. Thomason was then dismissed with the score on sixty-two. Thomason has had some luck this season, unfortunately all bad, and he was run out for the second week running. This week in the unluckiest way of all as he was run-out at the non-striker’s end when Lewis smashed the ball back at Stephens and the ball was diverted by the bowler’s fingers onto the stumps with Thomason out of his ground. Ethan Rice followed just three runs later after an excellent catch from Witchingham’s aussie import Jake Weatherald, diving to his right, to give Stephens a second scalp. With the score at sixty-five for five the Rams were on the ropes and hoping to ‘hear the bell’. Ben Clilverd, still handicapped by a shoulder injury, that restricted his movement and once again he would not be bowling, then joined Lewis as the pair tried to battle through to lunch. They added an unbeaten twenty-three in just under nine overs as the Rams limped to eighty-eight for five at the end of thirty-five testing overs. The big crowd were rewarded after thirty-three overs of seam bowling to get their first glimpse of ex-England spinner Monty Panesar and his fellow slow left armer James Hale who both saw some action with an over each just before the break.

After lunch Clilverd and Lewis continued to battle and in a rare moment of fluency Lewis hit Panesar for consecutive boundaries. The boundary count was low and the lush outfield made sure that boundaries came at a premium. These two boundaries brought up the three figures for the Rams (off 222 balls). Clilverd and Lewis completed a vital fifty run partnership (coming from 104 balls) with Lewis achieving his personal milestone at the same time. Hale (1-18) then bowled Clilverd (28 from 59 balls) in the forty-sixth over.  The pair had added fifty-nine runs to take the score to one hundred and twenty-six for six. With the Rams probably looking to accelerate and the wicket drying in the now bright sunshine it would have been nice to see Alex Evans striding to the wicket, looking for his third half-century in a row. Unfortunately for the Rams he was absent today. Skipper Dan Heath was unable to match his supporting efforts of last week and he was cleaned bowled by Stephens just three runs later. James Vandepeer then joined Lewis. Vandepeer is a very ‘handy’ number nine and has in the past been an emergency opening bat. The pair batted sensibly in easing conditions and chose the low-risk options against Panesar (who finished wicketless in ten tidy overs). The pair took the score to one hundred and fifty at the end of the fifty-second over. Lewis’s (154 ball) vigil was finally ended as he attempted to up the ante with an expansive on drive, he was dismissed on sixty-five as Stephens (4-39) picked up his fourth. With seven overs of the maximum sixty-four remaining in the innings the Rams had two objectives, one to get the score past two hundred and secondly not to give the Witches any additional overs (the side batting second gets a minimum of fifty-six overs plus any full unused overs from the first innings). Both looked doubtful when Darlow was trapped by Hanby (1-60) three runs later the Rams were on one hundred and seventy-three for nine. Sean Ward who is a handy all-rounder at second team level joined his long-term mate Vandepeer, both started playing together as youngsters for their village side Chippenham. The pair managed to get the score to two hundred (off 373 balls) with Vandepeer looking the most fluent batter on show as conditions continued to ease. This was highlighted by a contemptuous pull for four by Vandepeer off Hanby. Ward’s handy supporting role (5 from 19 balls) was ended as the returning Stolworthy (3-36) picked up a third, however the pair had added twenty-nine runs and the Witches would only have one over to carry over. Vandepeer finished with an impressive forty-three not out from forty-nine balls as the Rams finished on two and hundred and two. This was a remarkable effort given the early conditions and owed much to Lewis’s stubborn knock. It wasn’t a thing of beauty but it was non-the-less a remarkable effort, showing patience, concentration and no shortage of ability, without which the later flourish wouldn’t have been possible and it meant the Rams were still in the contest at the halfway stage.

Early wickets were going to be vital if the Rams were going to totally reverse their early fortunes and record a win. With all the sides above them being rained off and receiving seven points it was a good opportunity for the Rams to make up some ground. They were given an early bonus as Charlie Rogers was run out, coming back for a third run, following a fantastic boundary saving dive and then great throw from Ben Claydon. The Witches slipped to four for two when Vandepeer had Hale well caught, first ball, by Darlow. The Rams opening bowlers Vandepeer and Ward bowled well and were still getting some assistance but the sun and blue sky was aiding the effort with the bat. The experienced overseas and perhaps Witchingham’s most consistent bat over the last two year’s Drew Beazleigh settled the reply as they moved to fifty in the seventeenth over. They reached their half century partnership with Weatherald been the aggressor and Beazleigh supporting in eighty-seven balls. Weatherald then brought up his personal milestone in just sixty balls. The pair had taken their stand to ninety when tea came at the end of the twenty-fifth over. The Witches three figures and the century partnership (from 146 balls) came up promptly after tea as the pair continued to make batting look very comfortable. The pair supplemented Weatherald’s power with some good running to rotate the strike to hopefully unsettle the Rams bowling.  Weatherald (71 from 73 balls) then gave then Rams some hope when he toe-ended a full toss from Darlow straight to the reliable hands of Guest. Darlow (2-49) followed this up when he had ex-England player Phil Mustard caught at slip by Clilverd just after, to prize the door open for the Rams with the score on one hundred and thirteen for four. Hudson De Lucchi then steadied the ship and put the Witches back in the box seat as he added thirty-five with Beazleigh in the next thirteen overs. Guest however removed De Lucchi, caught by Ward, just before the one hundred and fifty came up and just before the last hour had begun. In the last hour of the long format the bowling side have to bowl a minimum of seventeen overs (to stop time wasting tactics). Beazleigh then reached a composed half century (off 135 balls). When the signal came for the last hour the Norfolk side were on one hundred and fifty-three for five after forty-five overs. This meant they need just fifty-runs in a minimum of seventeen overs, it also meant that the Rams ‘good’ over-rate had handed the opposition six extra overs.

At this point with other Club results filtering through it was looking pretty depressing and there was going to be a distinct lack of good news for the weekly report. The brightest beacon of light was coming from our Fourth XI where fifteen-year-old Alex Myles had returned the astonishing figures of seven for ten! The only other good news was a superb win for our Under-13’s against City of Cambridge earlier in the week.

The Rams hopes of an unlikely victory then rose as Vandepeer had Stephens well caught by keeper Heath with the score on one hundred and sixty-one. The chances of a Sawston win were always slim particularly with Beazleigh’s continued presence at the crease. The Rams were further hampered when Ben Claydon suffered a nasty injury whilst attempting a fully committed diving stop on the boundary. Very sportingly the Witches skipper allowed the Rams a substitute fielder and second team overseas Christy O’Brien came on for the stricken Claydon. The home support’s hopes were evaporating fast as the experienced Stolworthy settled into to a very handy partnership with Beazleigh as they took the score to one hundred and ninety midway through the fifty-eighth over. Guest then trapped Stolworthy (10 from 31).  With just thirteen required, and with twenty-seven balls remaining and an established batsman in the middle it was surely a brave but ultimately failed attempt to overcome the odds and deliver an unlikely victory for the Rams. Vandepeer who was running out of overs, bowlers are restricted to a maximum eighteen overs, then gave the home crowd fresh hope when he bowled Sam Groves with the score on one hundred and ninety-one. The visitors still only required twelve with twenty balls to go. The tension was palpable and our Head of Cricket Development, David Ellis, who is not a great watcher needed another solitary lap to calm his nerves. The Chairman who is in the process of giving up smoking was regretting his decision to start his new regime this week! Vandepeer’s two dots were followed by a tight Guest over where he conceded just two singles. The Witches needing just ten from twelve with Beazleigh still at the crease. With Vandepeer bowled out Thomason was entrusted with the penultimate over. Thomason due to some key injuries to some of our bowlers has been pressed into service as a bowler of late. He drew the short straw as he was asked to bowl for the first time in the day. He held his nerve despite a marginal no-ball call which the full toss cost three runs (one single and two for the no ball). He however, held his nerve to bowl five dots at Beazleigh. The Witches now needed seven runs from the last over with two wickets in hand as Guest took the responsibility for the final over. Two dots were followed by a single to Hanby. Beazleigh hit the next ball to the cover boundary where O’Brien fielded to restrict the visitors to two. With two balls to go all four results (home win, away win, draw and tie) were amazingly still possible in a pulsating finish to a classic match. Beazleigh went for broke with a lap-sweep to mid-wicket. He didn’t quite middle it, and Darlow in the deep gambled by attempting to take the catch with a full-length forward dive. Any misjudgement may have resulted in a boundary, and defeat for the Rams, or even a face full of cricket ball for the Sawston left armer. Darlow again showed what an excellent pair of hands he has by taking a magnificent catch just millimetres from the ground. This meant the patient crowd would get to see Panesar bat. Would he give them a reprise of his 2009 Ashes his match saving blocking or go for broke with a swish to the boundary. With tensions both on and off the pitch at fever pitch Guest bowled homing in on the stumps for a bowled or leg before decision, Monty met the delivery with his best forward defensive and the middle of his bat. The Rams had shown tremendous character and gained a draw that must have felt like a win. They remained fifth in the table but their eleven points meant that they had made up a little ground on all the sides above then.

As I said above the two games in Norfolk, at Horsford and AB Wanderers joined Frinton (for their third home cancellation in 2024) in being casualties before a ball was bowled. The Suffolk derby between Sudbury and leaders Copdock was abandoned after a solitary over. Witham thanks to their own excellent over-rate beat the winless Saffron Walden in ‘overtime’ to record a home victory in another exciting climax.

There was an almost unbelievable ending to our fourth team game, where the Rams were making their seasonal debut in Division Five. The had a tough looking fixture away at leaders St. Giles. As mentioned above young Alex Myles’ fantastic performance with the ball had seen the leaders dismissed for just seventy-four. One of his wickets was down to an extra-ordinary grab by the bowler. Another of our young guns Ben Latham (2-16) took a couple of wickets. With Rob Benson (29) and Andy Leonard (11) helping the side to sixty-eight for four the league leaders were in serious trouble. However, the introduction of I Pritchard Jones, another youngster, saw the Rams lose their last six wickets for just one run as the bowler picked up five for none! Our hero who is a very popular lad with all the adult squads and a cricket enthusiast seemed more pleased with his ‘worldy’ catch than his seven wickets! In a busy bank holiday weekend he was due to play for our u-15 on Sunday and the Essex Ability side on Monday!

The 2nd XI again put in another fine bowling performance as they bowled out fellow strugglers Old Leysians for one hundred and sixty-one to once again be in a good position at the break! Spinners Miguel Machado (4-43 ) and Julius Jackson (3-33) had put the Rams into a good position on a deck that was very helpful for the slower bowlers. Will Bailey (1-23) and Aaron Pledger(1-4) picked up the other wickets. Andre Gale’s forty-six was the only significant knock for the home side.

The Rams were looking on course for a victory as skipper Ant Phillips (25), fellow opener Liam Flynn (21) and Julius Jackson (16) had moved the Rams along to seventy-four for one. Their hopes were shattered as Joseph Gunn-Roberts (5-20) and that man Gale (3-26) weaved their magic on a turning surface and the Sawston side succumbed to a fifty-one-run defeat. They remain second bottom.

A slightly weaker third team were unable to match the performances of the previous two weeks when they went down to a ninety-nine-run defeat at home to NCI II’s. Sawston skipper Jake Ellis won the toss and elected to field on a very wet looking wicket. The slope at Babraham makes the groundstaff ’s job almost impossible in the monsoon like conditions we experienced on Wednesday. The Rams were a bit short of bowling and were not able to fully use the helpful conditions. The NCI batters and in particular Fisher (105 not out off 82 balls) took full advantage. He received excellent support from Verma (29), Petrie (32) and Uddin (19) as the visitors posted and impressive two hundred and twenty-six for four. Despite the carnage there were impressive spells from Dom Cameron (0-22 from eight overs) and Arya Saeb-Parsy (1-12 from six). The majority of the other overs were delivered by four bowlers who at one point in their careers have been wicket-keepers. Ellis and regular keeper Luke Herholdt picked up the other wickets.

In reply a few batsmen got starts but the Rams lost regular wickets as Balasuthenthirarajan (2-20) and Islam (2-22) picked up early wickets.  Charlie Borley (31 from 27) and young keeper Ethan Hayes-Fernandez (19) made contributions and made sure the Rams got to one hundred and twenty-seven and three batting points. Furlow (2-19) made sure that the Rams didn’t get anywhere near the target.

 Its finally happened! The Rams have won an EAPL T20 match for the first time and at the fifth time of asking.  They faced local rivals Saffron Walden in the second semi-final of Group A, held on bank holiday Monday at Mildenhall.

Earlier the hosts were thrashed by Bury in the first semi. The visitors won the toss and elected to bat posting an impressive 193 for 3 largely on the back of an unbeaten century from Sean Park (112 from 71 balls) and a typically aggressive knock from Alex Maynard (43 from 30). Mildenhall perhaps keeping their powder dry by not fielding their overseas. The home side’s reply never really got going and they were bundled out for 104 in just under fifteen overs. Mildenhall old boy Tom Rash (3-11) and Oliver Riddick (3-19) doing a lot of the damage.

In the second semi the Rams also won the toss and skipper for the day Callum Guest opted to bat. Seasonal debutant Wayne White led from the front scoring an unbeaten 77 (from 64 balls). He received great support from Guest (29 from 20), Yousuf Choudhary (32 from 21) and from second team overseas Christy O’Brien (26 no from 14) as the Rams posted 169 for 3.  In reply a few Walden batsmen got starts but George Darlow (4 for 25), Guest (2-18) and James Vandepeer (2-11) ensured that they finished 51 runs short. The was another bonus for the Rams as Ethan Rice had his first bowl since the opening day of the season picking up a wicket (1-21).

In the Group A final the Rams won the toss and again elected to bat. Openers Wayne White and Lee Thomason raced to a hundred partnership in just 11 overs. Lee Thomason was out first (58 from 40) as the opening stand was broken on 115 at the end of the twelfth. The Rams 150 then came up off just 90 balls. White raced to his hundred (off 57 balls with 6 maximums and 6 fours) but was bowled on the next ball. He had been well supported by Thomason, Choudhary and Rice and he departed with the score on 189. O’Brien wasted no time in reaching nine from three balls and Rice finished unbeaten on 14 as the Rams posted a very challenging 200.

The Rams use of mystery bowlers this year continued as Charlie Lewis opened the bowling and was rewarded with his first wicket for the 1st team. He may have bowled for the midweek side but I’m not sure? With Vandepeer (2-9) and White (2-35) picking up braces the Bury side lost regular wickets with only that man Park (43 from 27) showing any real resistance. When Guest picked up his wicket Bury were 59 for 6 and in real trouble. Rice continued his rehab by having his second bowl in five weeks and Lewis came back for a second tight over. Sawston finished the game by holding a bowling trial as Choudhary, and O’Brien loosened up. There was still time for a run out and a wicket for Thomason. Bury finished on 111 for 8 as the Rams progressed to the next stage of the competition. As the saying goes winning T20 matches is just like waiting for London buses, you wait ages for one and then two come along together!

In Group B hosts AB Wanderers defeated Great Witchingham in a low scoring match (140 played 99) in the first semi. In the second semi Alfie Cooper’s 73 (44 balls) was the backbone of Swardeston’s 153 for 8. Jordan Neil replied with 94 (from 62 balls) but could only get Horsford to 146 as they lost by just 7 runs.  The hosts won the toss and decided to bat first in the final. They were restricted to just 110 but had Swardeston in early trouble as the reply lurched to 19 for 3 including the in-form Alfie Cooper.  Romario Roach picked up a couple of wickets in three balls as Swardeston slumped to 24 for 5. The visitors were in grave danger of surrendering their EAPL T20 title that they won last year.  Their task got even harder when the home side picked up the wicket of Saranga Rajaguru with the score on 58 at the end of the twelfth with just the lower order to bat! They were eventually bowled out for just 77 as AB Wanderers ensured that there would be two new faces at Finals Day!

In Group C at Frinton the hosts beat Witham after posting 155 for two, the visitors reply was cut short by the weather and their 25 for 2 of seven overs was 27 runs short under the dls target. In the second semi Sudbury defended a very low score of 100 as local rivals Halstead (from the Two Counties league) could only get to 87 in reply.  In the Final Frinton won the toss and elected to bat.  The group final was reduced to twelve overs a side, Frinton posted 113 for 3 and that meant Sudbury were set a dls target of 123 (at just over 10 an over). Ben Parker (44 from 21) striking at over 200 gave it a good go for the visitors but the home side kept picking up vital wickets, with Connor Mitchell picking up four valuable scalps including Parker. Sudbury finished on 89 as Frinton made it finals day for the first time since they won it in 2018.

The Group winners will meet on the EAPL T20 Finals Day (tba) and the winners will pick up the EAPL T20 title and move on into the next stage of the ECB National T20 cup.