Dennington raises the bar again!

The Rams suffered back-to-back defeats which equals their worst ever run in the EAPL and the squad will no doubt be keen to avoid a record-breaking third successive defeat next week. They will visit Downham Stow for the first time next Saturday relieved to be still in the box seat. Although they lost on Saturday their position was strengthened by Copdock’s heavier defeat away at Witham. The gap at the top is now twenty-one points, which means the Rams need thirty points to confirm their fourth title in five years. So they need one win and a handful of bonus points from the last two.

On Saturday they won the toss and unusually decided to bowl, influenced no doubt by the slightly damp wicket and an iffy forecast for later in the day. They were also hampered by a delayed arrival of Wayne White, who was so late that he was unable to bowl in the innings. Sawston again somewhat unusually, although in common with last week, opened up with seam from both ends. James Vandepeer bowled beautifully but frustratingly without luck, again. The visitors’ openers built steadily adding a fifty partnership off ninety balls with Ned Overbury dominating. In a rare outing with the ball second change Ben Clilverd made the breakthrough when he had the reliable Darren Batch caught behind by Lee Thomason with the score on fifty-seven.  Overbury was joined at the crease by Adam Jones and the pair saw Sudbury through to drinks at eighty-three for one, with Overbury having just reached his fifty from seventy-five deliveries. Clilverd (2-35) however removed the opener(for 63 from 90 balls) with the score one shy of three figures. The visitors overseas Manelker De Silva then joined Jones. The pair who are the Suffolk sides’ leading run scorers compiled the second half century stand of the innings; this time off a punchier sixty-six balls. Jones went to his personal half century (from 63 balls) before the hundred partnership was brought up from ninety-seven balls; with the second fifty coming off just thirty-four deliveries. Mark Smith who had just been thumped for six by the tall Sri Lankan exacted revenge to bowl him with the score on two hundred for three. With thirty-nine balls to go the home fans were hoping for a sub-two hundred and fifty chase. However Jones and his new partner Ben Parker had other ideas as they rattled up  an additional sixty-three runs. Parker making a bright twenty-eight from just twenty balls. Jones had just reached three figures (off 95 balls), for the seventh time in the league this year and is, astonishingly,  now just shy of fifteen hundred league runs for the season.  He was caught in the deep by Ben Claydon to give Vandepeer a much-deserved wicket (1-43).

The Rams reply started brightly as White and Jack Beaumont added fifty off seventy-three balls, before a second fifty was added off forty-six more deliveries. Beaumont had just completed his personal half-century (58 balls). With the sun beginning to lose its vigour the Rams made it to drinks fairly comfortable at one hundred and sixteen without loss.  However, and perhaps as an indication that conditions with darkening skies had moved towards the bowlers allied to the introduction of Alex Quinn the last five overs up to drinks had only yielded fifteen runs! The visitors’ continued to squeeze and with Quinn (3-25) at the vanguard the home side slipped from one hundred and thirty for none to one hundred and seventy-one for four. White (45 from 89), Gorantla, and Beaumont (81 from 100) all fell to the Sudbury slow left-armer. De Silva (1-70) who was bowling well in tandem with Quinn accounted for an out of touch Guest. The Rams had lost four for forty-one in fifty-three balls as the momentum swung towards the bowlers.

The required rate had increased from being just over five an over to almost eights!. The Rams were in need of another Claydon – Thomason partnership.  The pair added another fifty stand (from 47), before Claydon reached his twelfth fifty plus score of an incredible season.  Eventually the pair would add seventy-six from sixty-six; but with five overs to go the required rate had climbed to tens! With the light fading Thomason (26 from 34) struggled for fluency and was almost grateful to be dismissed by Patrick Sadler (1-35)!

At two hundred and forty-seven for five the home side required seventeen from seven balls. The home sides hopes were, briefly, revived by Clilverd hitting his first ball for six. However, despite that big penultimate over Freddie Cloud (1-38) held his nerve to dismiss Clilverd and not concede a boundary. With Claydon stranded on an unbeaten sixty-four (off 63) the Rams finished four runs shy. Sudbury with some excellent under pressure bowling fully deserving of a very rare win against the Rams.

The silver lining came when news of third placed Witham’s victory over Copdock; with the second placed Suffolk outfit hampered by Sam Arthurton’s injury absence. Horsford suffered a five-wicket loss to Swardeston and Sudbury leapfrogged Horsford into fourth. Downham Stow ended Bury’s resurgence. In perhaps the result of the day Mildenhall managed to beat the All-Star line up that Witchingham had assembled for the day. This result was vital as (queue the music of the Great Escape) AB Wanderers defeated Frinton to move off the bottom. The loss left Frinton eleven points adrift but only seventeen points separate them from AB Wanderers, the Witches and Mildenhall.

A depleted and young Rams second eleven travelled to local rivals Foxton. Their scarce resources were further depleted when a football injury deprived them of skipper Dan Heath. Darcy Murphy took the reigns but it was a bad week for his parents to visit from Australia. Lewis Hill (5-23) and Sam Beer (4-22) destroyed the weakened line up after inserting them. The Rams hitting the self-destruct button to find lots of ways of getting themselves out. Only Julius Jackson (22), Yousuf Choudhary (11) and Murphy (10) made it into double figures as the Rams were bundled out for eighty-five. Foxton romped home in under twenty-five overs despite Tarun Mouli (2-16) and Murphy (1-23) picking up another wicket.

The fourth team ended their season on a high, having already clinched promotion they defeated very local rivals Whittlesford to ensure that they had beaten every other side in their division at least once.  Another youngster Josh Coleman (3-28) had led the way supported by skipper Dom Cameron (2-22) and Zane Dennington (1-9) as the home side were restricted to one hundred and forty-nine. Andrew Barker (54) and Richard Dear and David Perring with twenty-nine each were the biggest contributors.

Despite the early loss of the experienced Richard Molton, his brother Joel and another youngster Sam Ronco Zane Dennington flayed the bowling to all parts scoring a superb eighty-two not out (9 x 4, and four maximums) off just fifty-seven balls. He added sixty-two with Sean Gardiner (18) before yet another youngster Arnav Wadekar (10 no) helped the Rams over the line with fourteen overs to spare. This was Zane’s second ever fifty, the first one coming at the start of August. The teenager who has impressed with the ball all year finishing with almost two hundred runs at an average of fifty.