2 Routine wins..... the SBCC way
Before the start of play the equations were simple, although there were a few different permutations to arrive at the same result, that both of our sides would simply need to win their last games. The first team to guarantee them a third title EAPL in four years, and for the seconds to complete the ‘great’ escape and ensure their Cambs and Hunts Premier One league status for 2025. On paper both sides delivered routine wins with the firsts winning by five wickets and the seconds by a comfortable forty-six run margin. However, things are rarely that straight forward for the Rams and their ‘long-suffering’ fans!
At Frinton, the hosts who also needed a win or a Saffron Walden defeat to secure their place in the 2025 EAPL, won the toss and decided to bat. Mark Smith, who seems to enjoy the sea air at Frinton, had a fully operational radar this week and made the early breakthrough when he had Barney Morton caught behind, by Lee Thomason, with the score on five. Smith (2-29) then picked up a second when he took a sharp caught and bowled to dismiss Josh Frame with the score on thirty-one. Opener Connor Mitchell and Kyran Young first combined to take the score to fifty (off 98 balls), before Mitchell moved to a well-constructed half century (off 71 balls) as the pair shared a half century stand (from 70 balls). The home side had reached eighty-eight for two at drinks. The pair survived the curse of drinks and moved the total into three figures at the end of the twenty-eighth over. The Rams finally made a breakthrough when the Rams skipper Callum Guest (1-45), deputising for the still injured Dan Heath, had Mitchell caught in the covers by Jack Beaumont. With the score on one hundred and twenty-six for three at the end of the thirty-fifth the game was evenly poised with the home side with wickets in hand but perhaps needing to up the rate. Arshane Wijesuriya joined Young and was quickly into his stride, perhaps the only batsman that had looked fluent from the outset. Young then brought up his own fifty (from 93 balls) before the pair reached the same milestone with their stand coming off just sixty-five balls. Many observers from the home side felt that a score of around two hundred would be challenging. The key here was not to lose wickets and the home side reached that milestone in the forty-eighth over with the last fifty runs coming from just forty-two balls. Wijesuriya then made it to a personal fifty (from 43 balls), although the Rams didn’t help themselves as they shelled three chances, of varying degrees of difficulty, to remove him. The pair then brought up their century stand (from 92 balls) in a partnership dominated by Wijesuriya before they enjoyed the last sixteen balls of mayhem to take the total to a challenging two hundred and thirty-two.
At ‘half-time’ things were still looking OK for the Rams as Swardeston had posted an impressive three hundred and fourteen at Copdock and Horsford had been bowled out for one hundred and sixty at home to Witchingham. The home side and in particular their supporters were also buoyed by the news that their closest rivals at the wrong end of the table, Walden, were facing a big run chase at Bury.
The Ram’s reply was soon in trouble as Frinton’s end of season new player Douglas Hondo trapped first Wayne White and then his opening partner Guest both leg before with just six on the board. Hondo (2-24), now in his forty-sixth year, is an ex-Zimbabwean test and ODI player. The Rams helped to dig themselves into more trouble when a risky single led to Jack Beaumont being run out, leaving the Rams on ten for three. There was audible delight and relief at this as the home fans began to sense an unlikely victory, and I was half expecting the end of season football chorus of ‘we are staying up, we are staying up’ to break out! Ben Claydon was joined by his Cambridgeshire teammate Thomason and the pair began to repair the damage. They got the total to fifty in the thirteenth, before moving on to record a fifty partnership (of seventy-four balls)in the fifteenth over.
News was filtering through that the Rams title challenge was now under a serious double threat. Horsford were looking like bowling out Witchingham cheaply with the Rams still well short of the four bonus points they would need to stay ahead of their Norfolk rivals. Meanwhile the prolific Sam Arthurton and his partner Nico Boje had made an excellent start in chasing down the mammoth chase at Copdock. The Rams perhaps hoping that Swardeston could hold on and that the Rams could get to two hundred to still clinch or pinch the title!
The Rams pair continued to bat sensibly and were both striking at the same rate as they took the Rams to three figures just before drinks. The century partnership came up off one hundred and forty-seven balls as they survived the drinks break. Thomason was first to his personal fifty (from seventy-nine balls) with Claydon getting there just after (from eighty-seven balls). The pair took the score to one hundred and fifty in the thirty fifth, meaning the Rams needed just over eighty at five and half an over.
At this point Witchingham were fighting back strongly and Copdock were looking the biggest danger as they raced past one hundred and fifty without loss.
In true Rams fashion just as you begin to relax something tends to happen! With the score on one hundred and fifty-three Claydon edged Wijesuriya to the safe hands of Young at slip. Queue the nerves again, as often after a big partnership the dismissal of one of the pair leads to the dismissal of the other and it was crucial to have at least ‘one in’ batsman at the crease. Ben Clilverd joined Thomason and the pair were content to push the ball around until Clilverd was dismissed in an identical fashion to Claydon to give Wijesuriya (2-38) his second. The Rams were still fifty-five runs from victory with the required rate up to sixes with nine overs to go as Alex Evans came in. The home side attempted to ‘squeeze’ and the required rate peaked at seven an over with just five overs to go. Evans looked a little nervy initially and his early attempts at reverses were making his teammates a bit nervous as well. However, once he had hit a couple of drives for singles, he was starting to look dangerous. He then picked up Mitchell and deposited him over midwicket for six to take the Rams past the two hundred mark. He followed that up in the next over with a boundary and a couple of twos, with Thomason looking to give the tall left hander as much of the strike as possible. Evans needed a slice of luck when he was dropped in the deep. The forty-eighth over settled the match as Mitchell was hit by Evans for a four off of a no ball and then for a massive straight six off of the free-hit. Evans then finished the job with a reverse hit boundary to take the Rams over the finishing line for yet another astonishing win with eleven balls to spare. His partner Thomason finished unbeaten on eighty-seven (off one hundred and twenty-seven balls) in a terrific match winning innings.
The win gave the Rams their third title in the four full seasons that they have competed in the EAPL, which is an incredible record. It would have been nice to have a stress-free afternoon with an easy title winning victory but that is rarely the Rams way. In many ways the manner of the victory, which demonstrated the quality and determination of the group, is perhaps a more fitting way to have clinched the title and probably more memorable for the players. We should also remember the title was won by a group that didn’t taste defeat in the last fourteen games winning nine on the trot, with a long run to the line! The win also clinched a league and cup double as the Rams also lifted the EAPL T20 Cup earlier in the season.
Elsewhere Copdock fought to the bitter end and incredibly by losing fewer wickets claimed the win at home to Swardeston having tied the scores chasing over three hundred. A fantastic effort and an excellent season as they finished runners up. Horsford’s challenge faltered in the last month and they lost on the final day to Witchingham, but still finished third. AB Wanderers capped a highly successful debut season when they also won by losing fewer wickets in their game against Mildenhall which meant the Suffolk side were overtaken for fourth by the reigning champions Swardeston. Sudbury beat Witham and Bury handed Walden a defeat which put them into the 2024 playoffs.
The second team also won their final game of the season and they also chose the hard or memorable way to do it as well. They won the toss and decided to bat but the all too familiar batting woes returned to haunt them as they lurched from thirty-three for one to forty-six for six. Only Christy O’Brien (14) and Ben Benson (13) made it to double figures. Nick Griggs batting at eight then changed the course of the match. He added fifty-five runs with Will Bailey (30 from 55 balls), then eighty-two with Joe Latham (18 from 45)and a further twenty-two with Oli Humphreys (9 from 14) before the innings closed on two hundred and seven in the last over. Edward Manning (3-30) had done the early damage for the visitors, Burwell and Exning, with good support from Daniel Baigent (2-20), Connor Benton (1-27), and Nic Huckle (1-30) before Dylan Hardy (3-24) cleared the tail.
Griggs the Club Captain amazingly scored his maiden Premier One century, despite being a prolific run scorer earlier in his career, and finished unbeaten on one hundred and one (off 94 balls, 10 x 4, and 5 x 6).
Will Bailey (4-30) with an incredible spell with Raven picking up another wicket reduced the visitors to fifty-two for five, this included the prolific Burwell skipper Paul Summerskill and the in-form Dylan Hardy. Manish Burman (34 from 34) and overseas Ben Kelly repaired the early damage with a forty-six-run partnership. However, Raven (3-29) dismissed Burman and Manning in quick succession to leave the visitors struggling on one hundred and twelve for seven. Kelly found a new partner in Josh Vowden and they moved the score onto one hundred and forty-five. However, that man Griggs (3-16) then took over with the ball and in two eventful overs managed to dismiss Vowden, Kelly (57 from 77) and Baigent as the Rams won by forty-six runs. After a winless first fourteen games the Rams didn’t fold and came back strongly with five wins in the last eight games and they finished eighth in the league.
In the EAPL play-off games Saffron Walden were soundly beaten at Downham Stow and have been relegated back to the Onyx Premier One. In the other semi Halstead, failed to overcome Ramsey’s modest total. Unfortunately, Halstead have missed out in the play-offs for the last three years. Downham Stow and Ramsey will meet next week to decide who joins the defending champions in EAPL 2025.