Mixed fortunes across the club

Sawston and Babraham won their AVL EAPL match by two hundred and fifty-seven runs; against a very under-strength Frinton side. It was literally men against boys as Frinton were forced to field two players from their under fourteen squad. The whole of the Frinton side deserves great credit for their efforts on a very hot day but equally the Rams deserve credit for taking the opposition seriously and applying themselves accordingly.

The Rams won the toss, much I suspect to Frinton’s disappointment, and opted to bat. Rams’ old boy Mark Smith drew first blood when Sawston skipper Callum Guest played on to the former Cambridgeshire and Suffolk seamer with the score on twenty-five. He struck again thirty-nine runs later when the other opener, Ralph Haywood (40 from 52 balls), was induced into a mis-timed hook shot and Smith (2-37) picked up his second. That led to an extended period of toil for the visitors as Ben Claydon joined Ethan Rice at the crease. Three figures came up in the twenty-first over (off 121 balls); the pair then moved to a half century stand (off 43 balls). The third fifty of the innings then duly arrived off a further fifty-three balls. Claydon was first to his personal fifty at a run a ball; the century partnership was then reached (from 107 deliveries) before Rice made it to his first milestone (from 75 balls). The visitors then had forty-minutes of relief as lunch was taken with the Rams sitting menacingly on one hundred and ninety for two.

Frinton’s torment continued after lunch as the one hundred and fifty run partnership  (off 151 balls) came up rapidly. Claydon then reached his first century of the season (off 88 balls) before Sawston secured maximum batting points (at the score of 250 off 266 balls). Shortly afterward the pair reached another milestone as a double-century stand was achieved. The Rams had just posted three hundred runs when Rice moved to his maiden EAPL century; in doing so he became the youngest Ram ever to achieve this feat beating the immensely talented Nikhil Gorantla’s achievement by just twelve days! The Rams’ pair then moved to a two hundred and fifty run partnership (from 227 deliveries). Claydon was then dismissed, having recorded his personal best in the EAPL (146 from 117 balls) as Hamad Arshad (2-68) trapped the Sawston right hander before having James Sykes (13 from nine) caught. The Rams then declared with three hundred and forty-four on the board with Rice remaining unbeaten (117 no from 135 balls).

The Essex side would need to hold out for at least sixty-five overs. Their first target would be to reach tea, at around twenty-five overs, losing as few wickets as possible. This task was not helped when one of their most experienced batsmen at this level Arshad was trapped by Ben Clilverd who had been given the new ball along with regular opener Raj Singh. Singh (2-22) accounted for the other opener Alfie Wells (18 from 19) in the fifth; and then added Saad Bin Yousuf just five runs later to leave the visitors on twenty-three for three. Matthew Pound (11 from 24) joined Finlay Jones and despite not looking totally at ease dug in bravely to add nineteen runs for the fourth before he was bowled by Clilverd (2-27). The Rams then turned the screw as three more wickets fell for twenty-four runs in the next fifteen overs up to the tea break. James Sykes had the stubborn Nicholas Cooper (0 from 28) well stumped by Lee Thomason before Jack Beaumont had top scorer Jones (22 off 45) caught at the second attempt by Ari Sen, who was making his first team debut. Mark Smith who is often difficult to winkle out was trapped leg before by Beaumont on the brink of tea. Frinton reached the break on sixty-six for seven. After tea the Rams’ spin duo needed just under seven overs to deliver the last rites. Scott Rodwell (1 from 14) went first caught behind by Thomason off Sykes. The two fourteen-year-olds were the last two to join skipper Michael Coomber. Jacob Jones (6 off 8) played a couple of nice strokes before he was bowled by Beaumont (3-17); Henry Harland was then caught by Guest off Sykes (3-16) as he attempted to hit his maiden EAPL boundary. Both the youngsters demonstrated that they have a lot of character and desire and I am confident that they will have a good deal of better days in the years to come. Coomber was left unbeaten on fifteen (from 28) as the Essex side were dismissed for just eighty-seven.

Even though the Rams were the only side to pick up the maximum thirty points they gained only a little ground as the top four all won. Unbeaten leaders, and hot title favourites, Horsford demolished Norfolk rivals Downham Stow. Second-placed Swardeston needed an unbeaten fifty-eight eighth wicket partnership to hold off Sudbury. Another Sam Arthurton century condemned the out-of-form Ramsey to a ten-wicket defeat at home to Copdock. Mildenhall put in a solid performance to get over last week’s defeat when they defeated AB Wanderers by six wickets in Norfolk. Witham won the mid-table battle at Bury.

Despite having a day to remember Shiv Darbar was unable to inspire the Rams second team to a first victory of the season. Their hosts, St.Giles, won the toss and despite early runs from Craig Dourado (44 off 26), James Gillespie (46 from 90) and Krish Chauhan (24 from 23) the Rams were very much in the game at one hundred and nineteen for four in the twenty-sixth. Darbar picking up all four including Dourado, Chauhan and the dangerous pair of Zaheer Hussain and Vansh Bajaj. Teenager Neel Kumar along with Gillespie then steadied the ship adding a crucial thirty-four (off 58 balls). Once Gillespie had been dismissed by Dan Barnes (1-32) the home side’s overseas Ashok Singh came to the crease to add some impetus. He added thirty with teenager Neel Kumar (31 from 51) before Sawston skipper Julius Jackson removed Kumar. With Darbar (4-38 from 14 overs) bowled out and the remainder of the attack tiring Singh’s fireworks (65 no from 38) despite regularly losing partners at the other end was fast taking the game away from the visitors. Jackson (4-77) picked up another three wickets but a late flourish from Singh and Charles Bell (26 no from 13), both midweek teammates of Jackson), took the score to two hundred and sixty-five for nine, declared.

Notwithstanding twenty-eight from the skipper and a promising knock from Ethan Hayes-Fernandez (18 from 21) it was only Darbar’s (57 from 29) innings that took the score to a respectable one hundred and forty-six.  Bajaj (7-44) and Singh (2-17) doing the damage with the other wicket falling to Dourado (1-29).

The third team lost to a strong Rickling Ramblers side however there were several reasons to be cheerful. Cambridgeshire’s U14’s captain Gabby Harter (3-29) once again showed his tremendous promise and was backed up by veteran Gary Ellis (4-49) as the visitors posted two hundred and ninety-nine. The Rams finished on a creditable two hundred and thirty-two as Torin Phelps (50); another Cambridgeshire U14 Étienne Lamb (42); veteran Wes Potschul (41) all made decent contributions. Thirteen-year-old Nathanael Vice making his third team debut after a string of excellent scores in the fourths made it to double figures.

Cambridgeshire’s under 14’s pushed first class county Essex all the way, on Sunday, before losing by two wickets as Dhrona (73 and 2-38), Lamb (25) and the skipper Harter (4-31) all made significant contributions.

Newton gained revenge for an early season narrow defeat when they defeated the Rams 4ths by fifty-one runs, Skipper Sam Absolom (37) led the way with useful contributions from Tom Lewis (33)and James Dods (28); before an unbeaten sixth wicket partnership between Charles Loughlin (41 no) and Fabien Meullenet (12 no) took the total to two hundred and fifteen.  In reply the Rams were in serious trouble losing their first five wickets cheaply, despite Dom Cameron’s contribution (22). However, the experienced pair of Faheem Noushad (39) and Marcus Wetzl (37), on his return to his former stomping ground, got the Rams back into contention. Once this pair were out it was always going to be a tough ask, particularly as Sean Gardiner was in serious trouble with a back injury.  However, the teenage Cashmore’s, Caelan (13) and Ethan (14 no) did their best to get the Rams close but a brave attempt to bat by Gardiner was ended when his corner threw in the towel and he retired out. Jamie Dye (3-13) did the early damage and the other six wickets were shared evenly across the other six bowlers used.