A day of batting woes!

The Rams travelled to Mildenhall in the EAPL on Saturday. Two EAPL games had been washed out in Norfolk by Friday afternoon and news soon filtered through that Bury were also off despite a late switch to their second ground. Mildenhall had worked very hard to get the game on. The outfield like all others was very lush and had had to be shortened unsurprisingly at the river end which was a little ‘damp’. You have to have great sympathy and admiration for all groundsmen and in particularly the part-time voluntary ones. The track look pretty decent and a decent colour, certainly not the shade of green we had at Sawston last week, and was firm, at least on top. The Rams won the toss and not for the first time ‘bravely’ decided to bat. Many would have opted for the safety-first option, particularly against title rival opposition, but that has never been the Rams philosophy. We’ve had so much success in the last four year’s so it would be churlish to criticise!

The Rams started well with Callum Guest accompanied by another new partner Wayne White, who was making his seasonal EAPL debut but was in good nick for the County and at the EAPL T20, held at Mildenhall, on Sunday. There was lots of assistance for Messrs. Loveday and Blackledge and lots of excellent back up appealing from the field. The Rams pair had seen off the new ball pair and had advanced to forty without loss after fifteen overs when White (16) was ‘strangled’ down the leg side off Jonah Handy. Forty for none soon became forty-two for three as Mildenhall’s IPL player KC Cariappa weaved his magic. There was some considerable doubt about his leg before decision where he trapped Guest (21) but absolutely no doubt about the beauty he bowled to have Luke Spears, another EAPL seasonal debutant, caught by Mildenhall skipper Blackledge. Lee Thomason joined the returning Jack Beaumont in the middle and the experienced pair attempted to bat time and patiently waiting for any freebies. Although timing the ball on aggressive shots appeared to be difficult and the lush outfield meant that even if you did connect you were not getting full value. The pair added twenty-seven runs in just under twelve overs before Jack Loveday had his Cambridgeshire teammate caught behind with the score on sixty-nine. Ethan Rice then joined Beaumont and after looking compact and secure unfortunately chased a bit of a wide one from Loveday (2-36) and gave the Mildenhall keeper his third catch just as the sanctuary of lunch was arriving. Lunch was duly taken six runs and fifteen balls later with the Rams on seventy-seven for five. A very similar position to last week! (88 for 5).

The hope at lunch was to bat deep and get to around one-sixty which would be not only a challenge to get to but also a challenging total. The two lefties Beaumont and Alex Evans, the latter looking for his third consecutive fifty for the Rams batted watchfully. The first target was just becoming to look on when Beaumont was yorked by Blackledge (1-19), who had switched ends to come down the hill in this spell. Beaumont’s contribution of thirty-four had come from eight-three deliveries and he had added thirty-three (off 86 balls) with Evans. The initial target soon disappeared from the horizon as three more wickets (Clilverd, Vandepeer, Heath) fell as one hundred and four for five became one hundred and ten for nine.  The spinners Darren Ironside (1-19) and Cariappa (4-26) picking up the wickets. The Bedfordshire pair of Evans and Darlow have a bit of previous with late order partnerships. However, it wasn’t to be this time as Evans became a second victim of Handy (2-12) and a fourth for Cobbold with the score on a paltry one hundred and sixteen. This is the Rams lowest ever total in EAPL and Evans who made just twenty from seventy-three balls in contrast to his normally explosive approach thinks this is the first innings for the Rams in which he has failed to hit a boundary!

Ironside (13) opened up with Matt Allen as the Mildenhall pair made a similar start to the Rams as they moved along to thirty-four before Ironside was bowled by Beaumont (1-29).  Joe Tetley joined Allen and things were looking comfortable for the home side as they moved close to fifty in the fourteenth. It was also looking like a BBC quiz for the Rams, i.e. Pointless! That is one of the huge drawbacks on a low score when batting first, the is no plan B! However, White then breathed some life into the Rams attack, the contest and some panic into the Mildenhall camp when he removed Tetley (10), Allen and Blackledge in the space of ten balls with some impressive pace bowling. The home side had slipped form forty-none for one to fifty-four for four. Game on? Cariappa who had scored a ton earlier in the week in Mildenhall’s game against the MCC then came to the crease and fought fire with fire. He had scored a quick fire thirty-two from just eighteen balls to extinguish any slight Rams hopes. However, that man White(5-44) just as he began to tire after a long and fiery spell removed the Indian and Tom Allen with the score on eighty-eight for six. The Jack’s Potticary (10) and Loveday (20) settled the nerves for the home side as they moved to the summit of the EAPL.

Elsewhere bottom side Saffron Walden finally broke their duck as they leap-frogged and beat new boys AB Wanderers by fifty-eight runs. Copdock remain the only unbeaten side, after week seven, but had to settle for a draw at home to Frinton who had posted an impressive two hundred and eighty-six. Copdock are second twelve points adrift of Mildenhall. Any side that beats the Rams and Swardeston in the season as Mildenhall have done must be regarded as serious title contenders. The Rams remain fifth but are a distant thirty-eight points behind the leaders leaving them a big task to play catch up.

The Rams second string endured another poor display with the bat. Only Miguel Machado with a typically robust forty-six from just forty-nine balls made any significant contribution. Once again, a few others got starts but were unable to go on to make any sizeable contribution. The Rams lost wickets consistently before being bowled out for one hundred and thirty. Wayne Goldsmith (4-41) led the way for Blunham and received excellent support from Deryn Fowler (2-18) and the rest of the bowlers.

Blunham made light work of the reply getting home by six wickets in just thirty overs. Shabz Hussain (62 from 75) broke the back of the target and Tobias Van Den Heever (26) added support before Jacques Wildon (23 no) saw the Bedfordshire team home. Machado completed a decent day for him personally picking up (3-33) with Sawston skipper Ant Phillips (1-20) picking up the other wicket to fall.

The third and fourths were both cancelled due to wet pitches.

Not even a stand-out performance by stand-in skipper Dom Cameron could save the Rams from another winless weekend. The fourths travelled to Barrington in the Lower Junior Cup. The opposition from two divisions higher were initially rocked as Cameron (1-19) struck early to remove Webb with his first legitimate ball but Sills (41 no from 47 balls) and Batchelor (62 from 57) added one hundred and twelve for the second wicket. Youngster Zane Dennington (1-26) removed Batchelor before Lees (22 no) and Sills added another thirty-two runs as the innings closed on 145 in the twenty overs. Jon Windsor (0-21) from his four overs was perhaps the pick of the other bowlers.

In reply Charlie Borley (10) and Joel Dennington (14) gave the Rams a solid base by adding thirty-two for the first wicket but tight bowling ensured that the required rate was always climbing.  Youngster Sam Ronco (14 from 15) added some much-needed momentum to the innings as he added thirty-seven with the skipper.  Cameron with an excellent fifty not out (from just 24 balls) then added another twenty-three with Jon Windsor (5 from 5) but the innings closed on Nelson’s (111). The Barrington attack shared the wickets although Lees, Webb, Sills and Sewell were particular miserly in ensuring the Rams fell thirty-four runs short.