RAMSEY are proving a handful in Division One of the TuckerGardner Cambs & Hunts Premier League and this time it was Cambridge NCI that were brushed aside easily for a 25-point win.
After a disappointing 2012, Ramsey are sitting pretty in third in the table just 11 points behind leaders Wisbech Town with March Town sandwiched inbetween.
“We had a couple of disappointing draws early on,” said the club’s chairman David Swannell. “But now I think it’s going according to plan. It is making things quite interesting.
“With the age of this group of players we have at the club confidence is high because things are going well.
“I guess we will only found out if they have what it takes to challenge when things go worng. It’ll be how they handle that. That test will come.”
The wicket was a little soft for the match at Churchill College but looked like it would dry under the expected sun. Therefore, on winning the toss, Cambridge happily put Ramsey into bat.
As expected, the wicket was difficult in the early stages with progress slow and while wickets weren’t falling – only one down at the drinks break – they started to tumble soon after. At 85-5 the visitors were certainly wobbling. Enter Luke Stewart and Mark Edwards who put on a partnership of 106 in 12 overs, Edwards falling in the 48th over for 27 to leave Stewart 91 not out off a very impressive 77 balls.
A total of 198-6 always looked a big ask for Cambridge and so it proved. Michael Kay (3-26) took a wicket with the second ball of the innings and with David Carlaw again bowling very accurately from the other end wickets fell quickly with the two bowlers sharing the first six between them.
Kay was replaced by Sam Rippington (2-6) in 16th over but the NCI innings continued to flounder with the new bowler taking two wicket maiden overs and Carlaw picking up another two to end with up 5-28.
For the second time in a fortnight Godmanchester Town were bowled out for less than 100 to leave their bowlers with an almost impossible task. Only two batsmen reached double figures in a very poor batting performance and but for 22 extras gifted by the hosts Sawston the final total would have been considerably less.
Once again both the top and middle order failed to score runs – just 16 between seven of them, and if the side has any ambition to challenge for honours this season then the batting will have to show considerable improvement.
For the third time in five matches it was left to Chethan William to record the best contribution with the bat as Goddy fell to 90 all out in 32.2 overs.
Sawston took exactly one ball more to reach 91 although William’s 5-34 from 16.3 overs did mean they were six wickets down when they got there.
There was further disappointment for St Ives Town who lost their fourth game of seven this season when they were skittled out for just 77 at March Town despite Paul Swannell’s 30. All the more infuriating is the fact that they were only chasing 91 after Swannell had taken 5-41 and Bevis Moynan 4-31 in a fine bowling display.
There was a draw at Waresley who now have a record of three wins and three losses from their first seven games in Premier One after winning promotion to the top flight last season.
Simon Donald was once again the team’s star batsman opening with a fine 40 and Robert Craze (36) and Dominic Farr (34) also had good knocks as they reached 170-8 from their 48 overs against Castor & Ailsworth.
The visitors too managed to bat out all 48 overs and were just four runs short of the total after the last ball had been bowled.
Nigel Buckingham-Jones recorded figures of 5-31 from 16 overs with Castor ending the down with nine wickets down compared to Waresley’s eight.
In Premier Two, Eaton Socon made it back-to-back wins in a low scoring game at Yaxley.
Eaton batted first and were bowled out for just 95 with Paul Field top-scoring with 26 and Matt Taylor the only other batsman to reach double figures not out for 20. Yaxley were bowled all out for 85 in reply with Ben Gowling taking taking 5-31.
Adam Hyde (58 not out), Jack Skidmore (29) and Alex Grange (25) made light work of Warboys’s reply to Saffron Walden’s 158 all out. The wickets were evenly shared out between Sam Latchford (3-37), Chris Whitfield (3-17), Skidmore (2-32) and Grange (2-27).
l RAMSEY have called an emergency general meeting at the club for Friday, June 14 (8pm). HUNTS COUNTY BATS HUNTS LEAGUE
HUNTINGDON & District continued their chase of Blunham at the top of the Hunts County Bats Hunts League Division One table on Saturday with a rather excellent demolition of Southill Park.
Shalinder Ranaut tore through the home side’s order getting six wickets for the loss of just 10 runs from 12 overs as Southill struggled to 57 all out. Huntingdon’s reply was brief and quick. They reached their target in just 9.1 overs with Craig Leigh (29) and Kashif Mahmood Butt (27) getting the all of the runs and with the loss of just one wicket.
Adrian Lemmon (81), Nick Wilmer (50) and Andrew Wright (35) were in fine form for Godmanchester Town II in the Division One derby against Waresely II.
The three batsmen helped their side power to 224 for the loss of just five wickets in their innings before Waresley stumbled to all out for 105 despite an excellent half century from opener Sam Johnson.
Ramsey II lost their match at home to Burghley Park by the closest of margins. Jordan Cafferkey (47) and Elliott Smith (40) top scored for the Rams as they set their visitors 199-9 from their 45 overs. Nick Page recording figures of 4-23 before the batsmen hit out but fell just 10 runs short.
Eaton Socon II had a comfortable 46-run win over Alconbury in Division Two. Eaton made 154-6 with Roan Haarhoff hitting 53 and David McCaig 33 not out.
Alconbury were bowled out for a mere 108 with Gareth Thomas (4-28) and Adam Newman (3-26) doing the damage.
Also in Division Two, Sawtry beat AK XI by four wickets, while Old Eastonians beat Warboys II by 34 runs.
In Division Three, Buckden lost to Castor & Ailsworth II but Houghton & Wyton had a decent win over Ickwell with Pete Waughman making 82. Huntingdon & District II lost by two wickets to Newborough.
On Sunday, Brampton lost by 103 runs at Bharat Sports in Division Four, which was disappointing because at one stage it looked like the target of 156 was achievable.
Bharat won the toss and decided to bat. Brampton bowled and fielded well to keep the score down with debutant Liam Bryant finishing with 4-19 from his 12 overs and Rob Trewin bowling extremely well to record figures of 4-38.
Brampton didn’t count on the tightest bowling they had faced in this division, however. There were very few bad balls and the first nine overs went by with just three runs on the board.
The ball was swinging and wickets were regular, only the captain Andy Canham (23 not out) and Paul Greenhow (17) scored double figures, and Brampton were all out for 53 in the 29th over.
In the same division Bretton beat the struggling Little Paxton – they have lost all four games they have played so far this season and sit at the bottom of the table – and in Division Five Upwood beat Godmanchester Town III by 63 runs.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here