Record-breaking Ramblas lived the very epitome of ‘a game of two halves’ this week, as they succumbed to a bowling masterclass against Belvedere.
With four changes from the previous week’s defeat to Eltham, the Ramblas headed within sniffing distance of the Dartford Crossing to face a team they hadn’t played since the end of their first season. Maybe it was the memory of some of the old, dark days that came flooding back, but the Ramblas endured a day that most had thought had been consigned to the past.
And it all started so promisingly…
Winning the toss and opting to bowl, Ramblas captain Michael Cooper leant on two of the previous week’s bowling stars to open up, with James Dilley continuing his barrage of nippy, nagging deliveries from the Pavilion End and Geoff Parrett displaying beautiful flight from the other end.
The pair bowled well in tandem to keep a lid on the run rate, with Dilley getting his rightful reward with one that jagged into the stumps for the Ramblas first wicket of the day before being replaced by Chris Thomas.
With his first (admittedly loose…) delivery of the season, he claimed his first wicket of the day thanks to a catch at gully by Ben Sheridan as the batter chased a wide ball. Reverting to around the wicket, Thomas snaffled his second of the day, caught at mid-off by his captain for what was his 150th Ramblas wicket, before quick thinking in the field by Loughlin saw the Belvedere captain run out.
Meanwhile, Parrett was showing no signs of fatigue as he bowled eight cracking overs on the bounce, somehow only getting the one wicket for his efforts following a very smart catch at slip by Jason Christensen.
Cap’n Cooper came on with Parrett’s big boots to fill and was putting doubt in the batters’ minds by finding that corridor of uncertainty. He (along with Thomas and Dilley) was denied what was a very strong LBW shout before sneaking one through the gate after drinks to keep the Ramblas momentum going and Thomas rounded off his spell with a third wicket in his final over, again well caught by B. Sheridan – showing his older brother how it’s done…
And it was the youngest Rambla who came on in place of Thomas, getting right into his stride with a fine line and length before claiming two wickets courtesy of catches by wicketkeeper Matt Rudgyard (ending in a fine ‘dive’) and Mark Loughlin.
Dilley came back on following B. Sheridan’s fine four-over spell, but it was Duane Hall from the other end who finished things off with a simple caught and bowled chance, having seen another good LBW shout turned down and one delivery somehow miss bat, pad and stumps.
All that meant the Ramblas had bowled the hosts out for 132 in 35.3 overs, with every bowler claiming a wicket and the fielders more than backing them up. At a little under 3.5 runs an over, albeit on a large, slow outfield, the Ramblas felt confident they could make a good fist of the chase.
Alas, any confidence turned out to be spectacularly misguided, with a searing eight-over opening spell from Mason at one end accounting for five wickets for just seven runs to decimate the Ramblas top order.
Allied with more sharp bowling from the other end, the Ramblas crumbled like it was 2010 all over again to be bowled out for 32 in just 17.4 overs.
Having bowled and fielded so well, it came as quite a shock to put in a retro Ramblas batting performance, but the quality of the opposition bowling was definitely a cut above what they usually face on a Sunday and the safest thing for everyone to do is to pop this game in the folder ‘Best forgotten’ and look forward to a first home game of the season next week against Chevening.
Ramblas MVP: Shout outs across the board for the bowling unit, but for his two wickets, two catches and one great diving effort, Ben Sheridan gets the honour. (If there is any honour for the Ramblas in relation to this game…)