The Rams make club history again

Sawston and Babraham met Sutton, from the Surrey Premier League, in what was perhaps their biggest game in their one-hundred-and-seventy-three-year history. The Rams with four EAPL titles in the last five years have had their share of important games; however they had never been this deep into a national competition. This being a quarter-final of the Rothesay ECB Club Championship, which is the big brother of the National Village Cup.

Both sides arrived at Spicers in decent nick, the Rams on a fourteen-match unbeaten run which has lifted them to joint second in the EAPL. Their opponents were also in fine form, sitting currently third; but boasting victories over Wimbledon (the Rams opponents in the last round, who are fourth) followed by victories over the top two Esher and league leaders East Molesey.

Sutton, who like to chase, won the toss and decided to bowl. The Rams usual pairing of Callum Guest and Ralph Hayward started cautiously before Hayward started to find the boundary more frequently. The pair had moved the score along to forty-seven, when Guest (16 off 19) with an uncharacteristic stroke was bowled by George Jackson. His opening partner Hayward (30 from 28) followed eleven runs and twelve balls later when he was stumped by Cameron Tanner off Rehan Ratnasabapathy, in a very tight decision. Saturday’s centurion Ethan Rice followed just three runs later, dismissed in an almost identical fashion, highlighting how difficult these decisions are to make in real time. The Sutton spinner’s two wickets (2-33) had swung the pendulum in favour of the visitors with the Rams on sixty-one for three. Ben Claydon and Dan Andrew then steadied the ship adding thirty-runs (off 39 balls) before Claydon (23 from 28) was caught off Ben Rutherford’s first delivery (1-14). Lee Thomason, who had finally had some time in the middle the day before, joined Andrew and they formed a crucial partnership. They took the Rams to drinks at the half-way mark (20 overs) with the score on one hundred and two for four. The pair then reached their fifty partnership from seventy-four balls, before the one hundred and fifty arrived in the thirty-first. Andrew reached his fifty off seventy deliveries before being caught in the deep off Harry Garner (1-36) one ball later, having added ninety-six vital runs (off 108 balls) with Thomason. The Sawston keeper Thomason (50 off 60 balls) reached his personal milestone now batting with Jack Beaumont; the left hander however was caught and bowled by Max Wallis (1-51) with the score just four runs shy of two hundred with nineteen balls to go. Thomason (58 off 67) and Wayne White in a super cameo (18 from 9) added twenty-four (off 14 balls). Jackson (3-53) removed Thomason and White, the latter to a smart catch at short-fine off the last ball, but not before Ben Clilverd has scored seven off four balls to take the total to two hundred and twenty-seven in the full forty over allocation.

The home crowd are used to bigger totals and were very apprehensive feeling that the total, on a lightening outfield, had been restricted by some excellent bowling and some superb ground fielding. I had sought the inside take from our batting unit at drinks at they felt a score of two-twenty would have us in the game. In the past their judgement has been excellent so my hopes were boosted.

Lee Thomason started the second innings as he had finished the first when he performed a leg-side stumping off of a wide to remove Ansh Bansal off Clilverd’s first ball (1-17); Raj Singh had opened up with a maiden at the other end. Tanner (17 from 24) the other opener and the Sutton skipper Ryan Hackney then moved the score along to thirty-three when Guest caught him off Singh (1-10). When Rutherford was caught by Thomason off the bowling of James Sykes just eight runs later the Rams were definitely on top. Jayden Broodryk, in form following an unbeaten century on Saturday, then joined his skipper, and was immediately finding the middle of his bat. The pair moved the score along to ninety at the drinks break, just twelve behind DLS and with two settled batsmen the contest was perhaps even. The pair recorded a fifty stand shortly afterward and then Broodryk moved to his personal half century (off just 36 balls). The right hander who had looked so comfortable, playing a range of orthodox and unorthodox strokes (if reverses are still classed as the latter) and seemingly ‘milking’ the bowling suddenly lost composure skipping down the wicket playing a bit of a hack and was clean bowled by Beaumont. There was an almost audible sigh of relief from the home fans. The home supports confidence grew again when Daniel Peall was dismissed by Ethan Rice (1-33) just five runs later. At one hundred and twenty-two for five Sutton still required one hundred and six from just eighty-seven balls. Wallis (39 off 30) then joined Hackney and the pair added fifty-three (off 43). At this point they now needed fifty-three from forty-four balls (just over seven an over). This was the point when my faith was ebbing away and a wicket-walk was required! Claydon then had Wallis caught in the deep by Rice. Jay Evemy then joined the skipper. Hackney who had anchored the innings hadn’t changed his game plan despite the loss of regular wickets; my gut feel was that he had sufficient confidence in his lower order to finish the job. The pair had added thirty-nine off thirty balls; and the visitors needed just fourteen from the last sixteen deliveries. Most of the home crowd were resigned to our fate and the visiting fans were daring to dream. This feeling exacerbated as the Rams had missed a couple of difficult chances in the deep.

The Rams, through a White direct hit, following an attempted single to short third man; a run that had been successful for both sides throughout the contest, had given themselves a glimmer as Hackney (70 off 89) was run out. That glimmer had been almost extinguished just four balls later as a single to Ratnasabapathy was followed by almost inevitably a reversed four from Evemy.  Just nine needed (from 12 balls)  and with three wickets in hand surely the Rams brave run had run its course. Beaumont was entrusted with the thirty-ninth over; a quickly ran two off the first ball left the visitors needing just seven with eleven balls remaining. Beaumont held his nerve and his stump-to-stump approach paid dividends when he trapped Ratnasabaparthy in front with his second delivery. Two dots followed as number ten Gardner faced the slow left-armer. The last ball of the over, which perhaps offered the number ten a ‘free’ hit with his ‘in’ partner on strike for the last over, attempted a sweep to the shorter boundary. He missed the ball and it hit his pad, Beaumont (3-32)  was confident of a leg before, the batsmen was unsure of where the ball had gone and set off for a run before he realised, too late, when Thomason picked up the ball to stump him despite a desperate dive. The final over started with Evemy (33 no from 23)  looking for a cheeky two, with the legside field back on the boundary but the ball didn’t travel far enough and Sykes bowling the last got there quickly to keep it to a single. Jackson, in at eleven, and no mug with the bat apparently, then struck a lovely cover drive to the fielder. Still six to win with just four balls to go. Jackson went for the almost obligatory reverse off Sykes (2-31) but missed the ball and over balanced and Thomason finished the game with another stumping.

The Rams have won a few games in the last few seasons that they shouldn’t have and in dramatic fashion but nothing so dramatic as this.

Both sides deserve huge credit for their respective performances played in an excellent spirit; as do the Sutton players and supporters who were magnanimous in defeat and a credit to their Club throughout. They showed a tremendous amount of ‘class’ with an email early on Monday to congratulate us; and to express how much they had enjoyed the day and visiting our Club. Our players deserve the plaudits but our volunteers were also on top of their game throughout the day. The Rams have another home tie in the semi-final when they meet Shepherds Bush from the Middlesex Premier league in a couple of weeks.

I’m not sure if my words do justice to this game but if you want to see the highlights please go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pio1YqHeulc