While the country experienced a brief heatwave, it was fortunate for the Ramblas that the temperature cooled in time as they headed to an idyllic Kent locale to take on Ash Village CC. And following a week off, the club was keen to make amends after our defeat to Battersea Eagles at the start of the month.
Returning to the lineup were Chris Thomas and Jason Christensen but with the Ramblas still two players shy of full side an appeal was put out and Rob Dolby and Ramblas rookie Kai Nye answered the call.
For the first time in a long while, the match was a timed game, a format that the Ramblas have struggled at times to adapt to. But after winning the toss, Ramblas captain chose to bowl first, knowing that batting second will ensure that the visitors the best chance to ensure all three results were on the table at the end of the game.
Cooper elected to open the bowling himself alongside James Dilley and the pair combined well to restrict scoring opportunites. However, with another fast outfield and a short boundary one side, any bad balls were punished and the hosts kept the scoreboard ticking over. After a lengthy opening spell from the pair, Cooper made a double change in the hope it would bring a wicket.
In place of Cooper and Dilley came Geoff Parrett and Thomas respectively but they were both unable to make the breakthrough before drinks. Thomas’ first spell proved fruitless and was replaced by Nye.
And it was Nye who picked up the first wicket of the day, when Leaver was caught at long off by Thomas for 67. The opener, trying to up the run rate, mistimed his shot and Thomas took a solid catch to dismiss the batter.
The first wicket led to a momentum shift in the Ramblas favour, with Parrett picking up the next wicket when Stone picked out Dolby at point. It quickly became three wickets in three overs when Nye nabbed his second of the day after Blackett’s loose drive saw the ball loop up to Laurie Stocks at gulley.
In order to keep bowlers fresh, with the Ramblas inadvertently speeding through their overs, Johnny Stocks and Luke Sheridan came into the attack. And the change paid dividends immediately, J. Stocks picking up a wicket with just his second ball courtesy of a fantastic catch on the run by Dilley.
Sheridan claimed his first wicket of the season when Griffin mistimed a pull shot and Cooper took a simple catch at mid wicket. Ash Village fought back after losing a cluster of wickets and a 32 run partnership was ended when J. Stocks claimed the big wicket of Mason who was caught at mid wicket by Sheridan.
Thomas and Dilley returned to the attack and both picked up deserved wickets. Thomas clean bowled Maddocks for 10 with a peach of a delivery, while Dilley also clean bowled his victim with a shortish delivery that stay low and dismantled the stumps.
After bowling 47 overs, Ash Village ended their innings on 216-8 and the Ramblas tucked into a fantastic tea as they prepped for the run chase.
With the wicket having deteriorated a touch, batting was getting tougher as the game went on, and J. Stocks and Dolby were tasked to getting the Ramblas off to a strong start. The duo both looked in good touch early on, watchful of the variable bounce and dispatching any loose deliveries.
After an hour of play, and eighteen overs bowled, the Ramblas reached drinks 100-0 and in a strong position. In the last over before drinks, Dolby reached his fifty to great cheers from the boundary.
With an hour of play gone, the umpires declared that there were now twenty overs remaining in the day. The Ramblas needed 117 runs at a required rate of just under a run a ball, more than achievable given the wickets in hand and a strong batting lineup.
J. Stocks and Dolby continued to chip away at the total, with Dolby going up the gears and hitting boundaries with increasing regularity. While J. Stocks may have been playing more of the anchoring role, that did not stop him from hitting some brutal boundaries before he was clean bowled for 33 in the 24th over.
Sheridan was the next man in and was batting like a man full of confidence. Alongside Dolby, Sheridan’s clean striking was seeing many a delivery speed past a fielder and over the boundary rope.
Dolby was cruelly denied his third century in as many innings for the Ramblas when a mistimed shot was caught at mid wicket for 97. While it was gutting to not see Dolby reach his milestone, the Ramblas were 185-2 and in a strong position to seal victory.
In at four was Christensen, and after getting off the mark with a quick single before scoring a boundary off a delightful scoop shot. Sheridan reached his second half-century of the season off just 26 deliveries to bring the Ramblas to the cusp of victory.
There was a slight hiccup as Christensen was caught with just two required for victory as he attempted to hit the tree positioned in the outfield. Sheridan wrapped up proceedings the next over with a fiercely hit cover drive that raced to the long off boundary, as the Ramblas won by 7 wickets.
In another excellent all round performance, the Ramblas won their third game of an already successful season
Ramblas MVP: Honourable mentions to Johnny Stocks and Luke Sheridan who contributed with both bat and ball, but for his 97 that helped set up the win, this week’s MVP is Rob Dolby.