Rams in vital win as season draws towards a close.

A ‘vintage’ SBCC win saw the Rams extend their lead at the top of EAPL 24 to thirteen points as the reigning champions Swardeston defeated second placed Horsford. On a tricky looking surface at AB Wanderers the lower order, like a few times before over the last five years, took the game away from the opposition before an excellent bowling performance delivered another win. That made it a magnificent seven on the bounce.

SBCC won the toss and decided to bat on their first ever league visit to Barton Turf, which is situated close to the Norfolk Broads. The Rams opened up once again with Wayne White and stand-in skipper Callum Guest. The pair gave the visitors another excellent start before White (21 from 25 balls) was bowled by Joe Everett (1-55) at the end of the ninth. The pair almost adding another fifty stand to their impressive list of partnerships. Jack Beaumont followed five balls later, bowled by Joshua Larner (1-41)  to leave the Rams on forty-seven for two. Guest was joined by Ben Claydon and the pair batted watchfully adding thirty-three runs in sixty-one balls. However, the home side then struck three blows in quick succession, as eighty for two became eighty-five for five. Guest (32 from 58) and Lee Thomason were undone by the slow left arm spin of Joe Flatt (2-33). These dismissals were sandwiched by the bizarre stumping of Claydon following a wide from the home side’s overseas paceman Romario Roach. The keeper, Irfan Karim, saved it from being five wides and whilst prostrate lobbed it back towards the stumps with a backhand throw, with the oblivious batsman still out of his ground. At this point the home side and their supporters were very buoyant and eyeing a big win. Ethan Rice, in as a late replacement for Yousuf Choudhary, then joined Ben Clilverd. The pair added an important fifty runs (off 83 balls)  before Rice (15 from 34) offered a caught and bowled to Zak Tribe via a leading edge. Clilverd was joined by Alex Evans and the pair took the score to one hundred and fifty with just over ten overs remaining. Evans added another useful contribution (25 from 25) and crucially helped his partner add forty-nine crucial runs to take the score to one hundred and eighty-four for seven. Evans provided Roach with a second wicket as he attempted to up the ante with just thirty-three balls left. It was noticeable, at least from the video coverage, that some of the early exuberance from the home side and supporters, had dissipated. Chasing anything over one hundred and eighty on this deck would be a great effort. Vandepeer followed some six runs later as Roach (3-38) hit the stumps again.  George Darlow (15 no from 12) then joined Clilverd and they added thirty-four runs from just twenty balls as the Rams pushed on towards another bonus point. Clilverd whose season has been hampered by a shoulder injury, although that hasn’t stopped him being an almost ever present in the side, deservedly took the plaudits. Not only had he personally contributed sixty-five runs (from 94 balls) but with the lower order and tail had managed to make sure that the total was boosted by a match winning one hundred and thirty-nine runs. He became a second victim to Tribe (2-49) with just three balls to go. Mark Smith added a single to take this season’s average to fifty before the innings closed on two hundred and twenty-seven for nine.

Smith (1-29) gave the visitors a huge boost when he induced a false stroke, in the second over, from AB Wanderers leading batsman Jordan Everett who has had an impressive season. However, Kieran Spencer and Tristan Elam then steered the home side into a promising position of sixty-one for one towards the end of the twelfth over. The pair had added a half-century stand in just under a run a ball. However, the introduction of spin first from Guest and then from Beaumont had a tremendous impact as the home side lost nine wickets for just fifty-one runs in just eighty balls. The Sawston left armer had Elam (20 from 37) caught at slip by the buckets of Darlow before Spencer (39 from 35) attempted a big straight hit off the Ram’s left armer and was pouched by that man Clilverd just seven balls later. Guest then had Karim caught behind by Thomason at the end of the fifteenth over to leave the home side on sixty-eight for four. Roach and Tribe temporarily stopped the rot as they added twenty-three runs in fifteen balls. The pair taking a liking to Darlow’s slower pace with fourteen coming from his first over. That prompted a return to Beaumont and Guest and the pair picked up three wickets in just eight balls. Beaumont ended Tribe’s brief resistance (14 from 7) and then Beeden first ball both bowled with absolute beauties. Guest then trapped the dangerous Roach  (10 from 14) in front to leave the reply in tatters at ninety-one for seven. Beaumont then repeated the trick to trap Joe Everett just six runs later, and in the process pick up his first five wicket haul for the Rams. Guest trapped Joshua Larner leg before as the home side lurched to ninety-nine for nine.  The last pair Flatt and Stronach had a little bit of fun taking thirteen off a Guest over before Beaumont had Flatt caught in the deep by White to give the Rams an amazing one hundred and fifteen run victory. Guest finished with an impressive (3-19) but even this was overshadowed by Beaumont’s career best 6-16.  

Two of the top four suffered defeats as Horsford’s excellent run was derailed by Swardeston (by 156 runs) and Witham shocked fourth placed Mildenhall, not for the first time! It was just as well for Witham as a few sides at the bottom secured victories in what was a good day for the underdog. Sudbury overcame Witchingham. Frinton won the basement battle to leave Saffron Walden bottom. Copdock defeated fellow Suffolk side Bury, as their post Mark Smith slump continues, and the long-term leaders have moved back into second just thirteen points adrift of the Rams. Horsford are twenty-one points from the summit.

At Sawston the two sides that have made late bids to avoid relegation from the Onyx Premier One met at Spicers when the Rams entertained Old Leysians. Sawston were without skipper Ant Phillips so Nick Griggs again stepped up. With a few regulars missing and a late first team call up for Ethan Rice Griggs was pleased to welcome back Sean Ward and a visiting Matt Day. The visitors won the toss and elected to field. Stand in skipper and stand in opener Griggs went very early. Kiwi overseas Christy O’Brien provided the backbone of the innings whilst recording a season’s best. He scored seventy-seven runs (from 102 balls) and shared stands of seventy-five with Oli Borley (28 from 39 balls) and then sixty-four with Will Bailey. In between the Rams also lost Joe Latham and the explosive Miguel Machado very cheaply. When O’Brien fell the score was one hundred and sixty for five with around ninety balls to go. However, only Bailey (53 from 71) made any significant contribution, in terms of runs, although the tail did hang around. The innings closed on two hundred and twenty, just five runs short of another bonus point. Adam Newman (3-44) and braces for Joseph Gunn-Roberts (2-22), Andrew Bramley (2-31) and Clem St. Rose (2-50) did most of the damage for the visitors.

Thomas Cox (71 from 82) and Bramley (58 from 62) including a shared third wicket stand of sixty-six ensured that the Leys old boys got off to a very solid start. Their scoring rate also took the pressure off the middle and lower order as they reached one hundred and fifty in the thirtieth over. Bailey with 3-50 and Ward, with his first bowl in weeks, 2-40 ensured the Rams picked up six bowling points as the visitors got home by four wickets.

Elsewhere the results were ok for the Rams as Southill Park were heavily defeated, and Blunham only picked up one more point than the Rams. The surprise of the day was Walden’s terrific win against high flying Histon, who must be kicking themselves following Ramsey’s heavy, and pointless,  defeat against Eaton Socon.

The Rams third team, packed with youngsters and some fourth team call ups celebrated their survival in Division One South by adding the scalp of promoted Birchanger to the double over Champions Bassingbourn. The visitors won the toss and decided to bat on what is usually an excellent surface at Babraham and at this time of year a fast outfield. However youngster Zane Dennington, who has had a terrific season, made an early breakthrough (1-11 from seven tidy overs). The skipper Jake Ellis also picked up a wicket before Elliot Sellears (26) and Aled Jones (22) took the total to seventy-eight for two. However, another youngster Vivaan Kilaru (2-14) picked them both up with the addition of just one run to the total. Dhrona, our under-12’s team member, bowled his four overs for just eleven runs but Jason Reeves (17) and John Hampson (18 no) added late runs to boost the total to one hundred and forty-two for nine as the skipper finished with (4-31) with Jon Windsor (1-20 from 8 overs) and Sam Browne (1-9) picking up the other wickets.

The Rams in reply scrambled over the winning line, nine down with almost four overs to spare to end a good season in the perfect way. Early runs from veterans Wes Potschul (29) and Niall Barber (19) were supplemented by Kilaru (14). However, following on from his career best for the fourths last time out Charlie Borley (or ‘Runs’ as he is known in the family) hit a career best at third team level when he added a match winning thirty-one. Windsor (10) and Dennington (6 no) ensured a happy ending was achieved in the season’s finale. Their were braces for Sellears (2-28) and Charlie Warwick (2-19) as the Essex side shared the bowling and wickets.

The fourth team’s successful season ended frustratingly in a bad tempered abandonment at local rivals Stapleford. I wasn’t there so no further comment can be made.