Can Guest make it a unique hat-trick…

Callum Guest enjoyed a stellar weekend last week with two hundreds. His second hundred quashing rumours of a leadership challenge (from Midweek captain Oli Humphreys) following last Saturday’s disappointing defeat.

Talking of tricky journeys, with my history of rain curses when visiting EAPL grounds for the first time I’ll be studying the Met Office forecast very closely over the next twenty-four hours! The curse having struck at Swardeston, Copdock and Sudbury; and technically Downham Stow but that was a pre-season friendly that got ‘snowed off’. Albert is very keen to go and Mrs Albert is very keen for me to take him but not so keen on me bringing him back!

The first team will be keen to ‘get back on the bike’ as they face the tricky tie and tricky journey out to the Norfolk Broads to meet AB Wanderers. They face a side that two weeks ago replaced the Rams as the highest innings scorers in EAPL history when they posted a mammoth four hundred and seventy-four. Their overseas, Jayden Draper, also set a new mark for the highest individual score (250). He tops the ladder for most runs in the league with two hundred and eighty-seven from three games at a strike rate of just north of one hundred and fifty; clearly a man to get early.  His main partner on that day Jake Tarling is expected to be performing back in the Herts Premier League. Their leading bowler Tommy Chambers sits joint fifth in the wicket taking ladder with our own Ben Claydon. They have another new face in Ahmed Jamal, who was in the Gloucestershire / Wiltshire Premier league last term; he appears to be a top order player with bat and ball. The rest of the squad look settled from the last couple of seasons. They will also be keen to get back to winning ways after they slipped to a disappointing defeat away at Bury last week.

Last year we won the fifty-over contest at Barton Turf by fifty runs and AB Wanderers held on for a draw in the long format.

The Rams are expected to make just one change with Ayra Saeb-Parsy returning to the seconds to get some overs under his belt. There will be one or two batters looking to follow the skipper’s example by converting decent starts into match winning knocks. The squad will be keen to find that extra ten percent to convert good performances into wins. They have already given the leading sides a two-game start in their quest to become only the second side in the competition’s history to win three titles on the trot.

Elsewhere in the AVL EAPL  the three unbeaten leaders will be looking to increase the daylight between themselves and the chasing bunch where Horsford visit Sudbury; Copdock visit Witham; and Mildenhall face a difficult test on the Common against a remodelled Swardeston. Ramsey will want to return to the top step when they host bottom side Frinton and Downham Stow will want to build on last week’s success at home to Bury.

The second team face newly promoted Newmarket in the Cambs and Hunts Premier League; with a few of the boys aware of the fire-power of the ‘Stampede’ having been blitzed in midweek by the side based at Dullingham. The visitors like the Rams have faced both St. Giles and Wisbech, both suffered defeats against the side from the Fens but Newmarket were first day winners against the side from North Cambridge.  They have a South African (?) overseas in Taheer Isaacs a keeper-batter who can bowl; and possess a powerful middle order with Bertie Scott, Maxford Pipe, Mark Nunn and ex-Ram Ruwan Pitigala. The Rams will hope that their other overseas Kiwi Kieren Lloyd is not playing after his unbeaten double-ton for their Sunday side. The Rams will give full home debuts, after last week’s introduction at Babraham, to Vibhor Yadav and Shiv Darbar after his superb performance with the ball last week.  The Rams may have shot themselves in the foot when they undermined vice-skipper Julius Jackson’s early season good form when he was ‘Rammed’ in midweek; committing heresy by playing for Linton! The other big news in the division was Eaton Socon’s double over Foxton Granta, the second win ended Foxton’s dominance of the National Village Cup after back-to-back wins in 2024 and 2025.

The thirds who are also looking for their first win visit Aspenden, Standon and Puckeridge who themselves are after their first win of the season. The hosts were comfortably beaten by Rickling in week one, no disgrace there, and lost out in a tight one against the Chesterfords last week.

The fourths face very local rivals Newton in Division 4s and they have a one from two record like the Rams. They were thumped last week but beat Birchanger in their other outing. The Rams will want to build on their excellent win last week as they make their first appearance of the season at Babraham.

I’m guessing by the lack of team sheets thus far, that this week is another challenging one for the captains.

I must give a big shout out to all the players who gave up some time to join the regulars in providing cricket for a huge number of kids last Friday, keep up the good work and encourage your mates to come along and help. Please do not under-estimate the impact of your presence has on these youngsters.