Still searching for that illusive win!

In what has been a miserable July, so far, for the Club we find ourselves without a win, adults, midweek and juniors since the third team triumph on July 5th. Ironically this highly unusual run comes just as our availabilities crises seem to be behind us. Hopefully, it is just a breather before the final push for success at the end of the season.

Royston III team have withdrawn from the league which results in the Rams only having two league games on Saturday. Royston once considered amongst the giants of Cambridgeshire cricket have struggled with availabilities for their second and third teams again this year. This highlights a couple of things; firstly how lucky we are to be able to field four sides regularly; but secondly how as a Club we need to continually support our Junior section and keep recruiting players to sustainably move forward and not rest on our laurels!

The first team face a tricky trip to Copdock who currently sit third in the table as the red ball season ends. The side from Suffolk have a good a record against the Rams as anyone in the league. They handed, in a side containing Ben Claydon and Jack Beaumont, the Rams first ever (in 2021)  red ball defeat and earlier this year won the pink ball game at Spicers. In that match which the visitors won by six wickets Claydon and the prolific Sam Athurton traded centuries. These two feature in the top four run scorers in this year’s league; Athurton is second (852 @ 77.45) and Claydon fourth (724 @ 60.33).  In addition, the Rams have Nikhil Gorantla, Lee Thomason and skipper Callum Guest all approaching the five hundred run mark. Unusually the home side, given the surface at home, have only Jacob Marston and Ollie Burle with more than three hundred runs backing up Athurton. Burle who is trialling for Warwickshire, however, has only played nine times and his ninety-three against the Rams at Spicers was pivotal in the win. Copdock’s bowling will be spearheaded by Andy Hanby who is finding his feet after his move last year, and is backed up by Rajan Singh and Thomas Harper. The toss may prove crucial as it can prove difficult to bowl sides out at Copdock. Although with a mixed bag of weather this week with the covers on and off there may be more assistance for the bowlers. Don’t be surprised if this one goes down to the wire as Copdock have already been involved in three last over thrillers this season; taking over from the Rams who had a similar season last year! The Rams are forced into a couple of changes as Wayne White and Henry Wilson are unavailable; Ethan Rice steps up as he nears full fitness and Cambridgeshire U-18 Alex James is also given another opportunity to impress. The Rams will want to rediscover that early season form with the ball as it is a long time, back to Frinton at the end of June, since they have managed to bowl out a side.

Second placed Horsford, who narrowed the Rams lead at the top of EAPL25 to just thirteen points with last week’s win in the only completed match may be eyeing top spot if they can defeat Bury at home. Witham who have thrown themselves into the title mix face a trip to Mildenhall, against whom they have a decent record. Sudbury and Downham who were both amongst the early pace setters will both be delighted to see the back of the red ball campaign with both needing wins to make up ground on the top four. Frinton visit the Common to face Swardeston.  AB Wanderers who are fifty points adrift at the bottom of the table will hope that hosts Witchingham will be at their unpredictable worst when they meet in a Norfolk derby.

In the Rams only other game the second team host Eaton Socon. The visitors currently sit fifth in the league and will want a win to close the gap on the top three.  Jonathan Carpenter again is one of their stars with the bat although he trails teammate Tom Banks by eighty runs in the ladder. With the ball Ray Jordan leads the experienced Joe Dawborn by three wickets but both are just behind the Rams’ Darcy Murphy in the standings. The Rams suffered one of their batting collapses when they were heavily defeated in the earlier pink ball game. A Carpenter ton and an early burst from Jordan undermining the Rams. The Rams were frustrated last week when the rain came ironically as they fielded their strongest side all season.! They will be weakened this week by the absence of two from the first team, as two of last week’s side step up. Geo Varghese returns for the unavailable Ed Ball and Joe Latham returns in place of Henry Cotton.

On Sunday the third team play in the Walker Cup finals day hoping to repeat their triumph of a couple of seasons ago. Although they are allowed to play a couple of second teamers they are handicapped by the rules that make so many of their regular players ineligible. They face Camborne II’s in the second semi. If they win they face the winners of Old Monks and Ramsey II’s clash in what is perhaps the strongest side of the draw.

Unfortunately they will be lacking a bit of support as the SBCC volunteer army will be stretched as the Club host Cambridgeshire’s three-day fixture against Suffolk starting on Sunday.

Stop press: The 4ths have arranged a friendly to replace the cancelled league match #getthegameon