The champions bounce back

The Rams returned to winning ways with a convincing win at Frinton, which has always been one of their ‘happy’ places since their entry into the (AVL )EAPL. Skipper Callum Guest won the toss and decided to bat. He opened up with himself and the versatile Ben Clilverd; in the absence of three top order batters (White, Beaumont and Hayward). He may have immediately regretted that decision when Clilverd took a nasty blow to the hand in the first over as the Essex contracted quick Mackenzie Jones got one to lift off a hard length. The opening pair dug in attempting to see off Jones and ex-ram Mark Smith in a testing power play. The Essex quick (with 2-45) however exploited the variable nature of the pitch when he bowled Guest, with one that kept low, and then picked up Clilverd hooking with a ball that may have got a bit bigger than he anticipated. At thirty-eight for two the game was evenly poised; with the hope and expectation, that the pitch would remain tricky throughout both innings the Rams decided it was strategically important to bat the fifty overs. With the opening bowlers nearing the end of their initial salvos Ethan Rice and Ben Claydon were progressing nicely and they had added thirty-two runs from forty-three balls and were looking increasingly assured when disaster struck. Claydon went a bit too straight with a full delivery from the Frinton debutant Saad Bin Yousuf, who’s finger-tip touch onto the stumps left Rice (20 from 30 balls) stranded out of his ground. The combination of rotating spinners and the third seamer, with the ex-Maldon pair of Danny Edwards and Finlay Jones looking like useful recruits, kept things tight but Claydon and new parter Dan Andrew built steadily. They added forty-seven runs in seventy-six balls. Claydon (40 from 56) was just looking to add his third consecutive half century when Yousuf (1-42)  struck with a ball that barely bounced with the score on one hundred and seventeen with just under twenty-overs to go.  Andrew (39 from 77) was joined by the Rams ‘finisher’ Lee Thomason and was just looking to go through the gears when he didn’t quite get ‘all’ of a lofted drive to give Frinton’s third spinner Hamad Arshad (1-20) a scalp. In a worrying reprise of last week the Rams had lost their fifth wicket just as they were beginning to control the contest. Second team skipper Miguel Machado, a former Frinton player, joined Thomason and they steadily added twenty-three runs from twenty-seven balls. With five overs left the Rams at one hundred and seventy-one for five were still almost sixty-runs short of their target, with the two quicks laying in wait. However, the Ram’s pair had other ideas as the two quicks lost a bit of discipline and erred either too full or too short, rather than using the still unpredictable hard length, The pair added fifty-six runs in the last thirty-balls. Thomason going to fifty with a huge six to finish unbeaten on fifty-one (from 45) and Machado (37 from 33) being run out off the last ball of the innings. The innings closed on a very competitive two hundred and twenty-seven.

The home side’s reply after taking eight runs off the first two overs was then stifled and strangled by the combination of Raj Singh and Guest. With Guest (2-11) picking up both openers, Nico Boje and Arshad in the space of five balls sandwiched by a maiden from Singh. With the experienced Kyran Young and their overseas Hanu Viljoen at the crease the Rams pair rattled off twenty-five consecutive dot balls. As good as the bowling was this effort was matched by the fielders, with Dylan Hardy and Machado leading the way, at times even making the outstanding Clilverd looking like just another ‘member of the band’. This team effort and ethic was matched by the vocal encouragement, and running commentary,  of Alex Stafford. AP despite being restricted by the same hamstring injury  that curtailed his EAPL career in 2023 , and covered in more tape than the average crime scene, underlined the value of his personality and sheer presence. Surely the Rams will look to get a sponsorship deal, with Boots possibly, to make sure AP’s return isn’t just for ‘one night only’!  Singh was eventually rewarded for an outstanding spell and a few close calls by picking up the wicket of Young (8 from 42). Raj’s control was even more impressive given the early innings mix of left- and right-handed batters and despite conceding four runs in his first over finished with 1-9 from his full ten over spell. He signed off with Frinton twenty-eight for three at the end of the nineteenth! The home side dug in as Mackenzie Jones and Viljeon tried to set a platform. James Sykes (1-21) who continued where Guest had left off ended the forty-eight-run partnership (from 66 balls) when he bowled Jones. Ethan Rice then had Viljeon ‘strangled’ in the very next over to leave the Essex side on seventy-four for five approaching the thirty over mark. Things got worse as Rice (2-30) then trapped the Frinton skipper, Michael Comber, leg before and Clilverd (1-20) repeated the trick to dismiss Edwards as the innings lurched to eighty-three for seven. Yousuf and Finlay Jones then added a fifty-two-run partnership (off 75 balls) to try and add some respectability to the reply . However Claydon (1-23) and Machado (1-17) then dismissed Yousuf (27 from 43) and Jones (25 from 43) respectively before Hardy (1-1) ended the innings on one hundred and thirty-nine.

Elsewhere in the AVL EAPL five teams remain with perfect records. The most astonishing given their injury and availability issues is Copdock who chased down Ramsey’s impressive two hundred and ninety-three. With the prolific Sam Athurton absent the new signing Mihlali Mpongwana hit an unbeaten one hundred and forty-seven from just ninety-eight balls as the Ipswich side chased the total in the forty-sixth over. Horsford, my favourites for the title, gave Downham Stow a consecutive game to forget; Mildenhall had a comfortable afternoon at home to AB Wanderers to build on last week’s win at Sawston; a remodelled Swardeston beat Sudbury; and Bury the perennial fast starters scored an impressive win at Witham.

SBCC’s third team got there CCA Junior 1s campaign underway at Babraham on Saturday when they were beaten by Old Monks II’s. Despite early wickets for Ayra Saeb-Parsy (2-43) and Gary Ellis (4-31) the visitors recovered from twenty-three for two to reach one hundred and forty-seven ; R Raha (56) and H Thaivalappil (44) adding one hundred and twenty-three runs for the third wicket. Gary Ellis accounting for both before his son, Sawston skipper Jake, came to the party to pick up 3-26. Arnav Wadekar (1-33) picked up the other wicket as the innings closed on one hundred and ninety-eight. In reply only teenagers Dhrona Irinjalakudakkaran (28) and Saeb-Parsy (24) made it past the teens. The home side were dismissed for one hundred and twenty-seven with impressive Z Haider (4-17) tormenting the home side with great support from S Babu (3-28) and V Gupta (2-24).

On Sunday the 1st team returned to the National Club Cup and came away with a thrilling win over Billericay by just ten runs. Opener Wayne White’s unbeaten ninety-five was the backbone of the Rams innings; Dan Andrew (39) and skipper Callum Guest (35) also made significant contributions as the forty-over innings closed on two hundred and twenty-nine. Jarred Lysaught (3-49) was the most successful bowler for the visitors from Essex. In reply the contest ebbed and flowed as Arjun Bhardwaj (46) anchored the reply before some exposure batting from Lysaught (49 from 34) and Will Dale (41 from 28) threatened a win. The Rams held their nerve as the spin of White (3-36), Jack Beaumont (3-24) and Guest (2-28) ensured that the Rams moved on to meet Oundle in the next round.