Following last week’s victory over Chevening, the Ramblas returned to home comforts as they hosted Hildenborough, looking to make it back-to-back wins. But as has been the case for most of the season, the weather more closely resembles autumn than summer.

Ramblas captain Michael Cooper had selection issues for the first time this season. Absent from last week were Drew Smith, and Rahul Saha leaving the hosts two players short. Luckily for the skipper, Matt Rudgyard persuaded a friend, JP Aubin Parvu, to help out and Ajit Kulkarni answered a social media appeal and the Ramblas once again had a full XI.

Cooper won the toss and with clouds overhead chose to bowl first. Mark Loughlin and Chris Thomas opened the attack and both looked dangerous in the opening overs. However, Thomas had the hard task of defending the (very) short boundary and took some punishment.

Thomas made the breakthrough thanks to a fantastic run out to dismiss Hildenborough’s opener, Smith, for 6. Hoping to sneak a quick single off a bye, the openers set off on a run, but weren’t prepared for the quick pick up and laser precision throw from Thomas, whose direct hit sent the batsman back to the pavilion.

The Ramblas celebrate Thommo’s run out

Loughlin and Thomas were replaced by Duane Hall and Geoff Parrett respectively. And while the pair bowled well in tandem, the short boundary proved the Ramblas undoing as the visitors got the to the drinks break 107-1 off seventeen overs.

Sensing the need for a change, Cooper turned to debutants Kulkarni and Aubin Parvu to ignite a comeback. And the duo did not let the skipper down. In the first over after the break, Kulkarni bowled the dangerous Webb for 47. His next wicket came just three balls later thanks to a fantastic catch from J. Loughlin at mid-wicket.

The Ramblas’ excellent efforts in the field were helping keep the visitors in check. Aubin Parvu was bowling beautifully in his opening overs and got the wicket he deserved thanks to a catch by Parrett on the cover boundary.

JP & Geoff combine for the fourth wicket

Thomas came back on in place of Kulkarni and his three-over spell alongside Aubin Parvu helped stem the run flow. Aubin Parvu nabbed his second wicket of the day when he bowled Davies for 98. Davies thought he had covered his stumps, only to see the ball trickle through to topple the off stump bail.

Loughlin came back into the attack in place of Thomas and grabbed his first wicket thanks to a smart catch at first slip by Laurie Stocks. Hildenborough finished their 35 overs on 184-6. A brilliant comeback in the field for the last eighteen overs saw the Ramblas wrestle back control of the match.

After a quick tea break, the Ramblas set about chasing down the 185 runs needed for victory. Following on from their strong performance last week, Mark and John Loughlin opened the batting for the hosts.

The pair were aggressive from the outset, with M. Loughlin looking particularly devastating, as the pair took advantage of the small boundary. The pair plundered 43 runs in the first four overs as the Ramblas got off to a flyer.

The Loughlins on the attack

The partnership was broken in the next over, when M. Loughlin was clean bowled by a ball that jagged back in off the seam. His 21 ball 34 helped set a strong platform for the hosts. Luke Sheridan was the man in at first drop and carried on his good form for the season.

Hildenborough’s opening bowlers soon began to find their rhythm and the batters were finding runs harder to come by. J. Loughlin and Sheridan were patient, seeing off the good balls and making sure some quick running kept the scoreboard ticking over. The short boundary meant that there was still the odd boundary to relieve the pressure on the batsmen.

A delightful punched drive from Sheridan flew over the cover boundary for six but his luck ran out next ball when he was clean bowled for 23 attempting another maximum. Kulkarni was the next man in and, along with J. Loughlin, steadied the ship as the pair saw the Ramblas through to drinks. The last over before drinks saw J. Loughlin reach his first fifty of the season from 41 balls.

John salutes the crowd as he reaches his fifty

It wasn’t all plain sailing after the break as Kulkarni was dismissed for 6, the victim of a fantastic catch at cover. Stocks was the next cab off the rank and looked for opportunities to pinch singles and get J. Loughlin back on strike.

With J. Loughlin in fine fettle, the boundaries continued to flow as the Ramblas inched ever closer to the target. Alongside the Ramblas opener, Stocks was showing what he was capable of, with shots that fizzed past the boundary.

As the Ramblas inched ever closer to victory, there were still fears on the sideline of a classic Ramblas wobble. But those fears were unfounded as Stocks creamed a pull shot past the mid-wicket boundary as the Ramblas sealed a seven wicket victory.

Laurie hits the winning runs

In another excellent game against Hildenborough, the Ramblas picked up their second win in as many weeks. And while the run chase may have looked like a simple one, it was made easier by one of the strongest fielding performances in recent memory.

Ramblas MVP: Shout out to newbies JP Aubin Parvu and Ajit Kulkarni for their efforts with the ball, but for his match winning 95*, this week’s MVP is John Loughlin.