When the going gets tough

In the last month the Rams have faced an incredible run of fixtures that has included multi-time champions Swardeston, the former long-time league leaders Copdock, the multi-starred Great Witchingham and local rivals Walden in a four-match winning streak. Following on from last week’s run of results you’d think that the 2024 EAPL champions must come from one of the quartet in the top four (Horsford, Mildenhall, Copdock or the Rams).

After being in the chasing pack for much of the season SBCC found themselves back at the summit for the first time this year. Have we peaked too early? with dangerous finishers on our shoulder, waiting for the final sprint.  The very simple equation is that if we win our last five games we will win the title, and in doing so we will have won nine on the trot. Easly said but in reality that is an enormous ask, not impossible, but very difficult, and in this competitive league improbable. We will need skill, form, luck an avoidance of injuries, and possibly other results to go our way.

We start our run of five cup-finals against a team that have been shoulder to shoulder with us for much of our short EAPL history, Mildenhall. They are two places but only five points adrift of us in third. The Rams went down by four wickets in the reverse red-ball fixture and so will be keen to exact revenge and parity.

Mildenhall were dealt a big blow this week when two of their leading bowlers were ruled out. KC Cariappa has returned to India for the IPL trials, and we wish him every success, he is fifteen wickets ahead of the second placed bowler, our very own James Vandepeer, in the race to be the 2024 EAPL leading wicket-taker. So, he may still end up winning the gong! James is the leading seamer and before Saturday was four ahead of his former Cambridgeshire teammate Jack Loveday, who will miss the next few games. So that’s two bowlers with sixty-odd wickets between them missing. They however will still have a decent all-round attack available and therefore shouldn’t be underestimated.

With the bat Darren Ironside, after his injury hit season last year, is leading the way for the Suffolk side, with some of his runs digging his side out of the mire on a couple of occasions. He has also hit some useful runs for Suffolk and he is also handy with the ball. They are a dangerous side with the bat with the likes of Cambridgeshire’s Joe Tetley and Jack Potticary, and skipper Tristan Blackledge who nearly always torments the Rams with the bat. Last week’s stellar opening partnership and respective tons thrust Callum Guest (728 league runs) back to the head of the field in the race to become the leading run scorer in the league, and Wayne White (553 runs from only nine innings) into the top five. The Rams however have lost the in-form Lee Thomason (to a foot and fetlock injury) but are delighted to welcome back Ben Claydon whose rehab from his nasty collar bone injury is well ahead of schedule. Ben warmed up with a decent half-century for Cambridgeshire at the start of the week.

Our only other fixture sees the second team travel to Eaton Socon, and hopefully they are looking forward to more than just the tea! They have endured  an awful start, and middle of the season (winless after fourteen games) with at first a fair helping of gallows humour but have also shown a tremendous spirit and togetherness. Of late this has morphed into a growing confidence and self-belief. Saturday also gives Ethan Rice a return to the Club where his reputation rose, and he will no doubt want to add another highlight to his injury ravaged season. Unless you’ve been on the moon for the last few years the names of Carpenter and Dawborn will be synonymous with the Huntingdonshire Club. They currently sit seventh, which knowing their competitive spirit, is probably a bit of a disappointment. Jonathan Carpenter sits fifth in the Oynx One batting list one place ahead of another old foe of the Rams Matthew Pateman. Joe Dawborn despite his ailing limbs sits sixth in the wickets chart. Despite another tough assignment the Rams can take heart that none of their rivals towards the bottom of the table have an easier fixture.