Fresh off their comprehensive victory over Chevening last week, the Ramblas returned home to take on Bickley Park, after Hackney Umpires had to cancel due to lack of players.
Overnight rain had the visitors worried about the state of the pitch, but after reassurances from Ramblas skipper Michael Cooper, and a reduced overs game agreed, it was game on. In the absence of Johnny Stocks and Tom Danks, Drew Smith and Matt Rudgyard came back into the side, with Haydn Evans completing the lineup.
Cooper won the toss and elected to bowl first, hoping to use the conditions to his advantage early doors. Mark Loughlin and Doug Danks were once again given the task of opening the bowling.
While Loughlin was up to his usual standards, Danks radar was off, which allowed the openers to keep the scoreboard ticking over. However, even when he’s out of rhythm, it’s still impossible to keep Danks out of the wickets and he duly picked up the first wicket of the game when he clean bowled Horner.
Mark bowls / players celebrate Doug’s wicket
Loughlin’s spell went wicketless, his bowling once again not getting the rewards it deserved, and was replaced by Geoff Parrett. Parrett was another bowler who struggled to find his mojo with the ball but that didn’t stop him claiming the wicket of Bickley Park’s other opener Day, thanks to a sharp catch by Ed Gibbs at deep mid wicket.
Gibbs came on in place of Danks and picked up a wicket with his very first ball when P. Adamson picked out Loughlin at mid off, who took an excellent low catch.
The Ramblas skipper brought himself on in place of Parrett, and despite being hit for two boundaries early on, picked up a wicket with the last ball of his first over thanks to another catch from Gibbs at deep mid wicket. Gibbs was not put off by the non-strikers shouts of ‘he’s missed it’ as he calmly took the catch.
Cooper directs his field / Ed takes the catch
Cooper picked up his second wicket in his second over when Hardy tried one big shot too many and was well caught by Rudgyard at long on. Together, Cooper and Gibbs and brought the Ramblas back in contention with key wickets and some tidy bowling.
As the pressure built on the batsmen, wickets started to tumble. Gibbs had Dave Gambie to thank for his second wicket, the Ramblas gloveman taking a fantastic stumping as B. Adamson lost his footing.
Ed strides in / Gambie takes the plaudits
In his last over, Cooper dealt hammer blows to Bickley Park’s innings when he had Harwood caught at deep mid wicket by Gibbs. He then picked up his fourth of the day just three balls later when he took a caught and bowled chance to dismiss Pereira.
As the batsman walked, his umpires seemed to attempted to talk him out of it believing it to be a bump ball. But in a show of sportsmanship, the batsman continued his walk back to the pavilion.
Cooper picked up a wicket on his next delivery when he clean bowled McPherson and once again there seemed to be issues with the wicket. The batsman was convinced it bounced three times, and the umpire confirming it bounced twice then getting slightly shirty when being advised that as the second bounce was in the crease it was a legal delivery.
After all the drama had subsided, Cooper was on a hat-trick. Alas, the batsman kept the ball out and Cooper had to be content in becoming only the fourth man to take a five-fer for the Ramblas.
Ford and Loughlin came on in place of Gibbs and Cooper respectively and Ford took the final wicket of the innings when Gibbs took his fourth catch of the game at deep extra cover to dismiss Kirma. Bickley Park were all out for 187, a tough total but one that was gettable.
Players got stuck into another fantastic tea, this time provided by Parrett’s better half Vanessa. And despite earlier concerns about the weather, the sun was out in full force as Ash Harriss and Gambie took to the crease to start the run chase.
However, the run chase got off to a disastrous start when Harriss tamely popped one up to first slip for 1.
Ash out early doors
Smith came in at three earlier than expected and was watchful early in his innings. Gambie got off the mark with a boundary before he edged one through to the keeper for 4. Rudgyard was the next man in as well as the next man out, clean bowled for a duck. The Ramblas found themselves 10-3 in just the sixth over.
Evans was the next cab off the rank and looked more assured at the crease. Smith hit the first six of the innings with a glorious shot that cleared the long on boundary. Evans was off the mark with a smooth stroke through the covers before he was caught and bowled for 2.
Drew playing himself in
Ford came to the crease and with the innings on a knife edge, and his right thumb badly bruised, decided the best form of defence was attack. He took twenty runs off the first over he faced, which smartened up the scorecard no end.
The aggressive approach from Ford clearly rubbed off on Smith who ramped up his scoring with three boundaries of his own before he was trapped LBW for 23. The score was now 58-5 and looking more respectable.
In at seven was Loughlin, and in combination with Ford brought the Ramblas back into contention with some sensational hitting and quick running. The pair took the score to 99 in the seventeenth over before Ford was clean bowled for a 20 ball 49. With 13 overs still to go, the Ramblas knew they were back in the game.
Sam and Mark lead the fightback
Gibbs was the next batsman and was off the mark with a boundary thanks to an excellent sweep to the square leg boundary. Gibbs supported Loughlin who continued to accumulate runs before he was caught and bowled for 27. Gibbs was dismissed an over later when he was clean bowled for 6 by a fantastic yorker.
Parrett and Danks were the next duo at the crease and with runs needing to be scored, you can always rely on Parrett to keep the fans entertained. Parrett hit three boundaries, included a trademark maximum over deep mid wicket as he raced to 15. Sadly he was out three balls later when a top edge was safely snaffled by the ‘keeper.
Geoff and Doug keep the fight going
Cooper was the last man in, and with forty runs needed off three overs, knew he had to go out there swinging. However, despite his best efforts, he wasn’t able to get bat on ball. And when Danks was bowled for a well played 6, the Ramblas fell thirty runs short of the target.
In a well fought, occasionally tetchy, game, the Ramblas can take a lot of positives as they visit Petts Wood next week with revenge on their minds.
Ramblas MVP: Drew Smith (23), Mark Loughlin (27) and Sam Ford (49) all contributed with the bat and Ed Gibbs (2 wickets & 4 catches) was pivotal in the field. But for his maiden 5-fer, this week’s MVP is Michael Cooper.