Rams first team notch solitary win

The Rams travelled to second placed Mildenhall in the AVL EAPL, and inflicted only a second defeat of the season on their high-flying hosts. A defeat that dropped the Suffolk side down to fourth and only eighteen points ahead of the Rams.

The home side won the toss and on a dry pitch and parched outfield decided to bowl. Early on there was some very variable bounce which made standing back wicket keeping almost impossible. The Sawston openers Callum Guest and Ralph Hayward negotiated the early overs despite some erratic running. However, with the score on thirty-four the Mildenhall seamer Jack Loveday forced a false stroke by Hayward and he was caught in the deep. Ethan Rice joined the skipper and they added another thirty-six before Rice was caught behind to give KC Cariappa a first victim. The skipper became a second victim to Cariappa (2-61), to a smart catch by Loveday, just before the Rams reached three figures. An early assessment of conditions led to the conclusion that a score of around two-forty would represent a serious challenge, especially considering the five spin options possessed by the visitors. Ben Claydon and Jack Beaumont took the Rams to lunch at one hundred and twenty-six for three in thirty-seven overs.

The visitors’ hopes of reaching the target were struck an almost immediate blow on resumption as Claydon (22 off 63 balls) was snaffled by an excellent caught and bowled by Matt Allen (1-16).  The Rams seemed to have reset and were progressing steadily when Beaumont ran himself out (30 off 57) with the score on one hundred and fifty-nine for five. Lee Thomason, slightly hampered by a knee injury, and new partner Miguel Machado then dug in adding twenty-six, from fifty-nine balls. Machado was then trapped in front by Darren Ironside as he attempted to up the ante; Dylan Hardy became a second victim of the Suffolk spinner (2-45) just four balls later after another good catch this time by Jon Allen. Thomason (31 from 61) almost got the Rams to two hundred before his Cambridgeshire teammate Loveday (2-35) had him caught. Soon after Ben Clilverd (13 from 16) was run out by Dom Palmer before James Sykes and Raj Singh got the Rams to two hundred and eighteen; perhaps feeling that they had left an additional twenty or thirty runs out there.

The Rams opened up with six overs of seam from Singh whilst rotating three spinners during the same period from the other end. In the seventh over and Beaumont into his second spell he dismissed Peter Worthington with the score on eighteen. With Sykes then back for his second spell from the same end as Beaumont the Rams were gifted an important wicket when Ironside holed out to Hayward; with not the best ball he bowled in the afternoon. The Rams hopes of forcing a win were upped when Sykes claimed the wicket of Dom Palmer with Machado joining the ‘excellent catch club’ to leave Mildenhall wavering on twenty-seven for three.  The home side then dug in to get to tea on fifty-four for three.

After tea Matt Allen and Connor Cobbold batted sensibly as the Rams continued to rush through their overs. At this point it wasn’t obvious to the on looker whether the home side were going for the win or settling for the draw. The pair had just posted a half-century stand when Matt Allen (48 off 103) lost patience and tried to hit Guest over the top but could only find the hands of Claydon. Matt was replaced by brother Jon but he was caught by Clilverd off Beaumont just fifteen runs later and with the total just three shy of three figures. Joe Tetley was then winkled out by his former MCCU teammate Guest (2-33) as the hosts slipped to one hundred and eighteen for six. At this point Cobbold and Cariappa decided it was time for a counter attack. The pair added twenty-six in just sixteen balls. Cobbold had just reached fifty (the only one of the game) when Beaumont trapped him leg before. The hosts then lost their last three wickets with the score on one hundred and fifty. First Cariappa tried to hit one to the sun forced Machado to run back trying to judge a swirling catch before putting in a full-length dive and clinging onto the ball to give Sykes a third wicket. The left arm spinners then shared the last two wickets as they removed Tristan Blackledge and Loveday; Beaumont (4-46) and Sykes (4-15) shared the spoils. The Rams claimed twenty-seven points as they were rewarded for positive cricket as their over-rate meant that they could have bowled an additional eight overs in the second innings. The sixty-eight-run victory gave the Rams revenge for a first day defeat against their Suffolk rivals.

I’d like to claim some of the credit after saying that I hoped that I’d cursed  Palmer, Blackledge and Tetley in my match previews by saying they always got runs against the Rams!

The defeat dented Mildenhall’s title ambitions especially as the leaders Horsford eased to another comfortable victory at home to AB Wanderers. Elsewhere Swardeston made it five on the trot with a comprehensive win away at Witham to move into second. Copdock crushed Downham Stow to move into third with a thirty-point win.  Sudbury defeated Ramsey in a game that didn’t last until tea and pulled their rivals into the danger zone at the bottom of the table. Bottom side Frinton put up a better performance but were still defeated by Bury. Top billing must go to Sam Arthurton, of Copdock, as the prolific batsman scored his first ever EAPL double century at Copdock (his second double but this first in the league).

The Rams second team endured another miserable day with the bat as Wisbech’s overseas Naveen Fernando recoded a stunning eight for twenty-five as the home side were dismissed for just one hundred and sixteen. Only Dan Barnes (39 from 65) and fourteen-year-old Dhrona (23 from 53) made any substantial contribution; teenagers Henry Cotton (14) and Ethan Hayes Fernandez (10) made it to double figures and spent valuable learning time at the crease. Wisbech knocked off the runs easily as Danny Haynes (57 no off 46) and Sam Albutt (56 no off 42)shared a century stand and steered the visitors home by eight wickets despite Shiv Darbar’s (2-28) early brace.

The third team despite a century opening stand from skipper Jake Ellis ((59 from 65) and Wes Potschul (35 from 53) were bowled out by Division 1s Leaders Old Monks for just one hundred and sixty-four. With only Dan Pretorious (10) and a Rams career best from Geo Varghese (19) making it into double figures. Hari Thaivalappil (4-22) and Ronald Raha (2-20) were the most successful bowlers. Prakash Arumugam (73 from 68) and twenties from Thaivalappil and Raha ensured the leaders got home by seven wickets in just twenty-six overs. Varghese, Ellis and Etienne Lamb picked up consolation wickets.

TAC III’s completed a league double to leapfrog the Rams fourth team in Division 4s. The away side won the toss and there were top order runs from Sagar (50 from 41 balls) and Thandu (40 from 76) before their skipper Shimpi (28 from 34) ensured that, with the help of forty extras, that a challenging total of one hundred and eighty-nine was set. There were two wickets for skipper Dom Cameron (2-37), youngster Ethan Cashmore (2-34) and two for leading wicket-taker Adrian Platt (2-26). Josh Coleman again chipped in with another wicket (1-32) and his accuracy along with that of fellow teenager Muhammed Khan (0-13) kept the wides count down. In reply the inform Nathanael Vice and Cameron both went cheaply before Faheem Noushad again batted aggressively (34 off 24 balls) but he only received support from teen Coleman (20 off 46)as they were bundled out for just one hundred and nineteen. Thandu (3-53); Vasala (3-11); Medam (2-30)and the skipper Shimpi (2-20) shared the spoils.