It's a beautiful day

The Rams travelled to Copdock in the hope of putting a dent into one of the only two remaining perfect records in EAPL 2024. The good news was that the weather was set fair, blue skies (which was appropriate given the local football team’s success) and a building temperature that was already exceeding anything seen to date during the cool start to the season. Nothing could dampen my spirits especially as I passed through the two sets of roadworks on the A14 largely untroubled on my way to my first ever visit to Copdock’s impressive and lovely ground. The Rams were back to near full strength and I was pleased, on arrival, to see there was no late changes. Given Essex’s two-day disaster in Taunton we were perhaps unlucky that Noah Thain couldn’t have joined us! However, that is where the good news ended as an hour’s delay to the start time became longer and longer with a soggy patch of ground to the side of the playing strip refusing to dry despite the best efforts of the groundsmen and the elements. Both captains, perhaps nervous of losing a vital toss and even more nervous of the lottery that a ten over thrash can be mutually decided to call it a day and accept seven points each. Copdock lost that perfect record but remained unbeaten.

As it turned out our game was the second casualty of the day as Frinton had to cancel their second consecutive home game that also meant that the other perfect record, that of Sudbury, was another casualty. The only other unbeaten team going into week three, Witham (with one win and one cancellation before Saturday) suffered a heavy defeat at Bury. The defending champions Swardeston got off the mark as Great Witchingham, the preseason title favourites, suffered a third successive defeat. A dreadful start to their Centenary season. The leagues’ new boys AB Wanderers also suffered a Norfolk derby defeat when the were soundly beaten by Horsford. Mildenhall got back on track when they demolished Saffron Walden by ten wickets, as the boys from Essex suffered ‘a pointless’ afternoon. As typifies this time of year, particularly in the EAPL, all the winners came from the side batting second. All the successful captains must be praying that they don’t lose their lucky coin!

By the time I had returned to Sawston, again largely untroubled by the roadworks, the Rams second string had slumped to 60 for 6, as the visitors capitalised on winning an important toss. Southill Park’s Daniel Brown (3-29) inflicting the early damage as Sawston skipper, in an unfamiliar opener’s role, was joined by youngster Henry Cotton, Julius Jackson (12), debutant Miguel Machado, vice-captain Nick Griggs and overseas Christy O’Brien (22). Brown receiving good support from Wajahat Ali (2-19) before Southill’s spinners got to work on a wicket that offered assistance and a bit of uncertainty. Sami Younis (2-18), Adnan Bashir (2-22) and Kashif Bilal (1-16) all bowled well to close the innings. However, the tail supported last year’s player of the year Will Bailey (39 from 80 balls) as he and Sean Jenkins (9) added twenty-six before Bailey added another thirty-two with Jake Raven (12 no). Bailey unluckily chopped on with the score on one hundred and twenty-eight with the home side batting into the forty-seventh over.

With batting conditions improving after the tea break blunted over new ball attack of Sean Ward and spinner Jake Raven as Amaan Mahmood (13) shared a fifty-run opening partnership with last week’s centurion and match winner Jonathan Huggins. Our new boy Machado however took his first wicket for the Rams (1-19) to remove Mahmood with the score on fifty-three. That man Bailey then removed Huggins (53) just after he had reached his half-century with the total on eighty-two. Edward Lamb (30 no) and visiting skipper Shaylen Tomlinson-Patel then steered the visitors to the verge of victory before the Rams skipper Ant Phillips (1-12) removed his opposite number. The Bedfordshire side reached their target shortly afterwards for a seven-wicket win, their second of the season to remain unbeaten. The defeat leaves the Rams winless after three but with improving availability and recent recruitment there are still reasons to be more optimistic.

Jake Ellis took his weakened side, will the football season ever end, away to Ashwell for their first action of the year. The opposition were relegated from the Senior league last year and therefore they will probably be amongst the league leaders this time around. The skipper got the first bit right by calling the right-way at the toss and he inserted the home side. He was rewarded as impressive debutant Dushyant Patel (2-16) picked up two wickets in an excellent first eight overs for the Club. Richard Young (21) and Richard Redfern (55 from 28 balls) added seventy-four runs to take the total to one hundred and two for two. This soon became four down, for the same score, as a couple of the skipper’s young charges Alex Myles dismissed the explosive Redfern and young opening bowler Zane Dennington returned to added the scalp of Derek Trezise. The patient Young then added thirty-one with Tom Daniell (24) before Sam Browne (2-29) picked up his first wicket. He picked up his second to end Young’s vigil with the score on one hundred and forty-two for six. The home side were indebted to Tom Foot’s unbeaten knock of twenty-three as the Sawston youngsters returned to take wickets to reduce the home side to one hundred and eighty-one all out. The fifteen-year-olds stole the show as Dennington finished with (2-36), and Myles (2-23).

In reply the Rams lost their Mr Reliable Wes Potschul, Richard Moulton and Luke Herholdt with less than thirty on the board. However, makeshift opener Ellis (52 from 89) and the experienced Marcus Wetzl (15) added thirty-eight runs before the latter was dismissed with the score at seventy-four for four. Wetzl making a comeback to Division One cricket after his last appearance which was probably before the turn of the century! After that the Rams lost regular wickets although Browne hung around to get his skipper to his half-century, before Patel (7 no) ran out of partners with the visitors still sixty runs short. Tom Daniell (3-18) and Richard Redfern (3-11) completed excellent all-round displays. They were well supported by Harry Daniell (2-29) and Alfie Redfern (1-9).

On Sunday the first team met North Middlesex in the National Cup. The Rams were unfortunate on a couple of counts. Firstly, they had about two thirds of the Saturday’s team away on Minor Counties duties with Cambs, Beds and Suffolk. Secondly, they were drawn against a very capable young side from North London. The Rams won the toss and decided to bat. However, a couple of very lively quicks soon had the home side in trouble and sent a few stumps cartwheeling. Sawston lost Charlie Lewis, James Vandepeer, Miguel Machado and Ethan Rice with just eighteen on the board. George Garrett (2-23) and Richard Tunnicliffe (2-11) delivering the early breakthroughs. The Rams could only hope that the back-up bowling would give them some relief! They were to be disappointed as Christy O’Brien helped seasonal debutant Luke Spears moved the score to thirty-nine before he became Divyanshu Bhartiya’s first victim. Spears and Alex Evans gave the home supporters some hope as they added fifty-five valuable runs. Evans (32 from 53 balls) mixing his usual powerful hitting with considerable patience. He was undone by Jarren Bacher just before the Rams got to three figures. Bacher (2-19) repeating the medicine when he clean bowled home skipper Dan Heath just three runs later. Spears and Julius Jackson steered the home side past the one hundred mark before Spears departed just shy of a deserved half century (47 from 81 balls). Spears’ availability is a bit patchy but he again showed his trademark class in his first hit of the season, that class and experience would certainly assist the second team’s cause if not the firsts’. Bhartiya (2-29) returned to dismiss Spears. Julius Jackson (15 no) with some inventive shots and the support of Sean Ward then got the score to a more respectable 148 for 8 at the conclusion of the forty over innings.

The only remaining hope for the Rams was that maybe North Middlesex were just a bowling side. This hope was distinguished as Will Frais (46 from 33 balls) in particular played some expansive shots as he added fifty-seven with Bhartiya. Machado (1-22) picked up Bhartiya but Luke Hollman then helped Frais to take the score to ninety-eight before Sean Ward (1-32) picked up the opener. Hollman (42 no from 45) and Jack Hartigan (22 from 35) then saw the visitors home by eight wickets with eighteen overs to spare. We wish them continued success for the rest of the competition.

It was not all bad news this weekend. The Club continued on its journey of development when it fielded its first ever girls’ team in a structured league. Our U-11’s claiming their first victory to go with two defeats in their first four team round robin fixture, this was also the first cricket played at Babraham this season following the cancellation of the fourth team fixture on Saturday.

The Cambridgeshire boys had a mixed and ultimately frustrating time as they shared the points with Lincolnshire and Norfolk on Sunday and Monday respectively. They will probably argue that the damage was done when their double-header against Suffolk, who finished bottom of the table, was rained off in the first week. However, it was a stellar weekend for Sawston’s Ben Claydon who hit two half centuries during the weekend. His ninety-six not out (from 54 balls) supported by Lee Thomason’s twenty-three not out won game one in Lincolnshire after Wayne White had picked up a brace (2-22). White (2-25) picked up a brace in the second game at Bracebridge Heath, and although Thomason (46 from 29), Callum Guest (35 from 17) and Ben Clilverd (17 from 14) all made contributions Cambs finished twenty-seven runs short.  On Monday Cambs again won the first match against Norfolk with Claydon (72 no from 49) and White (48 no from 34) sharing a match winning stand of seventy-six (from 56 balls). Norfolk secured their win in the second game with one ball to spare to finish top of the group. Claydon could ‘only’ muster forty-two (from 29 balls) and Thomason (23 from 18) with White picking up another brace.  Let’s hope the Cambs boys have left enough in the tank for the Rams next weekend. George Darlow’s Bedfordshire also had mixed fortunes and a couple of blips with the bat as they finished bottom in a tough looking group. There was better news for the Cambridgeshire boys later, although they had missed out on automatic qualification they had made it through to the Super 12’s as one of the two best placed third place finishers. The winner’s of the four Super 12’s groups will go through to the NCCA T20 Finals day.