All Four Teams Return to Action

The first team face another daunting trip, having travelled to the unbeaten leaders Horsford last week, this time they make a shorter journey to second placed Mildenhall. With the leaders at home to the badly out-of-form AB Wanderers the Suffolk outfit will be looking for a win to keep themselves within one win of the top.

Matt Allen has built on an excellent season in 2025 and is the home side’s top batter; and sits third on the league ladder (with 521 runs @ 57.89). The dependable Darren Ironside is a bit off the pace but still averages almost forty. Skipper Tristan Blackledge, keeper Joe Tetley and middle order batsman Dom Palmer can nearly always be relied on to score useful runs against the Rams (hopefully that’s put the mockers on!). With the ball KC Cariappa finds himself level with Ben Claydon on twenty-five wickets but he has some ground to make up if he is to make it three successive leading bowler titles. Seamers Jonah Handy and Jack Loveday are only a handful of wickets outside the top ten. The hosts have most bases covered and have three wins on the spin coming into Saturday’s match. Having defeated the Rams, away from home for the first time, they will be looking to do a double over the opponents for the first time ever.

The Rams are expected to make only one change with Jack Beaumont in for the unavailable Dan Andrew. The return of the left armer will give the skipper a fifth spin option on what could be another hot day. With five spinners the forty-four overs bowled before lunch at Ramsey could be under serious threat!

As I mentioned ACL EAPL leaders Horsford entertain AB Wanderers; the inform Swardeston travel to Witham; fourth placed Copdock will want to gain some ground at home to Downham, who are looking for a third successive win; Frinton are in dire need of a win at home to Bury; as are Sudbury and Ramsey who meet at Friars Street.

The second team’s search for an elusive win to back up the improved team spirit takes them into a home game against Wisbech. These encounters are often a Gary Freear ‘benefit game’ and the Rams will be keen to remove him early. Unsurprisingly Freear is again in the Premier League’s top ten run-scorers but he is almost fifty runs adrift of teammates Sam Albutt (who sits third). James Williams a centurion for the Fenland side in the first game of the season may still be absent with a sprained fetlock! Overseas Naveen Fernando leads the way for the visitors with fourteen wickets. The Rams have both their spinners, Shiv Darbar and Adi Datta available after impressing last week, but co-captain Julius Jackson will assess the pitch before deciding on the mystery spin or mystery seam option. With no express pace in the visitors attack the other half of the captaincy duo, Oli Humphreys, has been practising some front foot shots! This is also good news for the square leg umpire as he should have an uninterrupted view this week! Youth is again given its head with teenagers Henry Cotton, Ethan Hayes-Fernandez and Dhrona in the squad alongside new recruit Max Boxall.

The thirds travel to leaders Old Monks at Hauxton; and to make matters worse, if that’s possible, the opposition have no first team game! Even without any strengthening the Old Monks have Akash Ghosh and Saheer Babu among the top run scorers in Division 1s; with Vaibhav Gupta leading the way with the ball. Skipper Jake Ellis will be pleased with his squad despite losing Dhrona to the seconds. He will have some teenage talent of his own (Etienne Lamb, Dan Pretorious, Zane Dennington, Arnav Wadekar and Gabby Harter) supplemented by veterans Wes Potschul, Ari Sen, Geo Varghese and Gary Ellis.

To complete a difficult week of fixtures the third placed fourth team entertain fourth placed TAC. Skipper Dom Cameron will be hoping both he and teen Nathanael Vice can continue to be among Division 4s’ leading run scorers and hopefully outscore TAC’s Vasudev Kumanduri. Similarly Adrian Platt and Josh Coleman will want to out-perform fellow top ten bowler Sneh Mehta from the visitors. The fourths will be that superb usual mix of lads and dads, teens and slightly more mature players; and possibly a couple of the oldest swingers in town!

After a blank weekend last week I may not return unless we have at least one win on the board!