Like a red ball to a Ram

The Rams love affair with the red ball continued this week when they secured a routine win on Saturday and a record-breaking win on Sunday.

On Saturday the Rams from Cambridgeshire visited the Rams from Huntingdonshire when they travelled to Ramsey for their first local derby since Wisbech’s relegation in 2023. The weakened home side won the toss and on another belter of a day decided to have first use of the strip. After a couple of tight spells from the seamers, Singh and Rice, Callum Guest decided that spin was the way to go as they rattled through forty-four overs before lunch! Ramsey in the absence of skipper Michael Cafferkey opened up with the experienced Wayne Bradley and the youthful Harley Edmonds and they had moved the score, steadily, onto thirty-seven without loss. With a bit of variable bounce and some dangerous turn The Rams and their left arm spinners began to exert some control and ask some questions. Jack Beaumont struck first to remove Bradley (24 from 47 balls) before just thirteen runs later James Sykes, the Cambridgeshire one-day captain, dismissed one of his promising county colleagues Ben Saunders. Sykes (2-48) doubled up to have Edmonds smartly caught behind by Lee Thomason to leave the home side on fifty-seven for three in the twenty-fifth. The Ramsey overseas Sandun Weerakkody and Matthew Duncan attempted to dig in adding just eighteen runs in almost six overs before the Rams went ‘bang-bang’, to use Sykes’ favourite saying, as the right arm spin of the in-form Ben Claydon picked up both batsmen within three runs to leave the home side on seventy-eight for five in the thirty-third. Mark Saunders, perhaps the last of the recognised batters, was joined by ex-Ram skipper Dan Heath as they set their stall out to get to lunch. In turn the Rams ‘sprinted’ through their overs to use up as many of the sixty-four available to Ramsey as possible. Both sides largely achieved their target as the Rams bowled another eleven overs for thirty-seven runs as the home side reached lunch on one hundred and fifteen for five. Despite the excellent first session the Rams were keen to finish off the home side’s innings as soon as possible and most felt that they wouldn’t want to chase many more than one hundred and fifty.

The visitors were given the perfect start when Claydon trapped Saunders (29 from 51 balls) just three balls after lunch. Heath was joined by another ex-Ram Tarun Mouli and they had moved the score onto one hundred and twenty-seven when Mouli, inexplicably, took on the arm of Ben Clilverd and was run out. Oliver Stevens joined Heath and they moved the score to one hundred and forty before the Rams ruthlessly closed out the innings by taking the last three wickets for just one run. Claydon picked up Heath(13 from 63) and Stevens to finish with another five-fa (5-28) before Beaumont gained his second (2-26), with both spinners going at under two runs per over in their long spells.

The home side struck back to take two wickets for just thirty-seven as Hayward (21 from 39), after a positive start, and Rice were both dismissed by Mouli (2-56) following a change of ends for the left-arm spinner. That was as good as it got as Guest (48 not out from 94 balls) anchored the reply as Claydon finally converted numerous starts to move to only his second league half century of the season. The first coming in the very first game. Claydon moved serenely to fifty (from 46 balls) before the pair added a century stand (from 122) with Claydon finishing unbeaten on sixty-two from sixty-seven balls. The pair were resolute in defence and punishing of anything loose as the Rams clinically despatched their local rivals for an eight-wicket win.

A drawn match between Mildenhall and Copdock allowed the title favourites Horsford, fresh from their AVL EAPL T20 title win, to open up the gap at the top as they won at a canter at Witham. Swardeston scored another early ‘knock-out’ win at home to Bury; as the title dark-horses moved up to second in the table.  AB Wanderers won the Norfolk derby away at Downham. Sudbury enjoyed the upper hand in a draw at home to Frinton as the bottom two battled it out, both earning more points than Downham and Ramsey to close the gap on the two sides above them.

On Sunday the Rams travelled to Crouch End, of the Middlesex Premier League, in the Group semi-final of the National Club Championship. The hosts who had won impressively in the last round won the toss and decided to bat in the forty-over contest. The Rams struck two early blows as Beaumont plucked a catch out of thin air to give Rice the first wicket before his opening partner Singh (1-10) trapped the home skipper Prasad in front with only sixteen on the board. The home side had recovered slightly to forty-four for two but Rice (2-42) struck again. The hosts then moved along to seventy-two when Ben Clilverd (1-42), with his first bowl of the weekend, removed the stubborn Hassam (16 from 34 balls). Sachin Patel (54 from 54) and Krupesh Bala (26 from 48) then added fifty runs (off 67) to move the home side to one hundred and twenty-seven for four; to set up a potential last ten over flourish and move the hosts to a challenging total. However the Rams struck back as the pair and Adi Hegde were all dismissed within five runs and nineteen balls. That man Claydon picked up the two ‘in’ batters and Guest (1-18) joined the party to take the seventh wicket. The home side then added twenty runs for the eighth and nineteen for the ninth as they tried to get to a respectable total. Hashu (20 from 21) did his best to up the ante but Claydon (4-19) picked up another couple and Jack Beaumont (1-35) the other as Crouch End were dismissed for one hundred and seventy-one in the last over.

The Rams’ regular opening pair got the visitors off to a positive start before Hayward (20 from 15) was caught off the bowling of Shantu (1-19) with the score on thirty-one in the fourth over. Guest, who was continuing where he left off on Saturday, and Rice then added forty (from 46 balls) before the Sawston skipper (27 from 27) offered a regulation caught and bowled to Sheikh (1-29). Despite Hassam’s(8-2-8-0)  incredibly tight spell the Rams coasted to victory in the thirty-fourth over. Rice (63 not out from 91 balls) and that-man Claydon (60 not out from 67 balls) adding an unbeaten century stand (off 132 balls) to take the Rams to their second eight wicket win of the weekend. Having all-ready progressed the furthest that they have ever gone in the Competition they face a tough test with a visit to Brentwood in three weeks’ time.

The second team’s search for a win goes on, perhaps they are awaiting the introduction of the red ball game! On Saturday they entertained Foxton Granta at Spicers. Home skipper Miguel Machado won the toss and decided to bat. In the absence of a couple of the regular openers Dylan Hardy and Dan Barnes opened up. After moving to twenty-five without loss in the ‘eighth the wheels came off’ as the spin heavy attack took four wickets for the addition of just eight runs in almost six overs. Hardy (26), Barnes, and new signing Paarth Thakur were all dismissed under the spell of the Foxton spinners and Torin Phelps was run out. It was once again left to the experienced pair of Vibhor Yadav and the skipper to stage a recovery. The pair added ninety-three to leave the Rams handily placed on one hundred and twenty-six for four at the start of the thirty-first. However, Richard Kaufman (3-51) struck to remove Machado (52 from 60) and then Shiv Darbar eleven balls later. When Jack Carnegie (1-16) snared Yadav (49 from 71) the writing was on the wall as the Rams lost their last four wickets for eleven runs. There were braces for Foxton’s overseas Jonty Webb (2-11), former skipper Lewys Hill (2-22) and Ravi Mahendra (1-38) picked up the other.

With a batting line up containing Webster, Kaufman, Atkinson and Hill one hundred and sixty-four was never going to be defendable. Darbar again bowled superbly (2-21 off of his ten overs) and Machado picked up the ‘prize’ wicket of Kaufman (20 from 11). Adam Webster (45 from 85) anchored the reply and added eighty-two with Foxton skipper Johnny Atkinson (61 no off 85) before Chris Pepper (16 off 10)  joined the latter to see the Foxes home for a comfortable seven wicket win. New overseas Thakur bowled a promising, if wicketless, ten over spell.

The Rams III’s lost another tight one as they search for their first win of the season. The visitors Gt. Chishill won the toss and decided to bat. Runs up top from James Piper (58 from 97) were looking in vain as Gary Ellis (3-12), Ettienne Lamb (2-29) and skipper Jake Ellis (1-69) reduced the visitors to one hundred and twenty-two for six in the twenty-seventh. However the late order and tail wagged as Byron Leach (38 from 29), Ben Truett (32 no from 26) and Lucas Ling (14 no from 7) stretched the total to two hundred and nineteen. Dhrona (1-32) and Arnav Wadekar (1-18) picking up the other wickets to fall.

The Rams reply got off to a shocking start as teenager Dhrona was run out without facing and the more experienced Wes Potschul was also dismissed without troubling the scorer. The Rams middle order then staged a recovery with fifteen-year-old Ethan Hayes-Fernandez, who had a stellar week with two half-centuries for his Cambridgeshire age-group side, leading the way with forty-five (50 balls). The skipper with thirty-three (from 31) and Ari Sen a run a ball twenty-five. However when Ethan and Ari fell within five runs of each other and Wadekar just six runs later the Rams found themselves at one hundred and fifteen for six. Teenager Sam Ronco, on his seasonal debut looked like taking the Rams home as he and fellow teenager Etienne Lamb added ninety for the seventh wicket. Ronco (59 from 59) fell with the Rams needing a run a ball fifteen to win. Unfortunately Lamb (31 no from 46) ran out of partners with the Rams six runs shy. Angus Gent held his nerve to pick up 4-29, with earlier wickets from Dan Nicholes (2-23) and one apiece for Leach, Ling and Oliver Brunt.

The fourth team failed to find that Holy Grail when they were unable to convert a decent total into an almost unknown third successive win away at TAC III (at Balsham). Two of this year’s intake again starred with the bat as teenager Nathanael Vice (41 from 80) and Faheem Noushad (64 from 49). Shaun Gardiner (19 off 25) and Jon Windsor (20 from 17) got the total to one shy of two hundred. The wickets were shared amongst the home bowlers but Sneh Mehta (2-32) and Jagadeesh Swarna (2-31) picked up braces.

In reply despite early wickets for teens Josh Coleman (1-20) and Joel Jordan (2-23) that left the home side’s reply in deep trouble on eight for three TAC then clearly decided that attack was the best form of defence. Anil Paka (72 from 57) and Sreedhar Pv (52 not out off 75) added one hundred and thirty-five for the fourth wicket. Skipper Dom Cameron (1-33) removed Paka and another teen Muhammad Khan (2-17) picked up a couple of consolation wickets as the home side cantered home by four wickets inside twenty-eight overs. Cameron probably ruing not having the wily skills of his leading wicket-taker Adrian Platt.