After back to back wins, the Ramblas were brought back down to earth with a thud, comprehensively beaten by a strong Beckenham Merlins outfit.
Heading into the game three players short, Ramblas captain Michael Cooper was able to call upon the services of Seth Clifford, Neil Missen and Al Murray to complete the XI. Alas, their original opponent had to cancel due to lack of players. Beckenham Merlins, purporting to be a weak outfit, stepped up to the plate to take the fixture.
The Merlins won the toss and their captain opted to bowl first. Johnny Stocks and Clifford opened the batting and it wasn’t long before they were both back in the hutch. Clifford run out after a risky call by his partner and Stocks bowled playing a rare loose shot.
Mark Loughlin and Neil Missen were the next men in and took the score to 61 before Loughlin fell for 23. Jason Christen was in at five and let loose a flurry of boundaries before he was caught off a top edge for 18.
Matt Rudgyard was the next cab off the rank and after hitting a boundary, was controversially given out caught behind Amongst all the choas, Missen was playing beautifully and holding the innings together. He helped get the score to 123 before he was caught and bowled for 44.
The Ramblas tail wagged to the tune of 33 runs, largely thanks a classic Geoff Parrett cameo, as the hosts finished on 156-9 off their 35 overs.
A tale of two techniques…
The visitors made short work of the total, chasing it down in just 16 overs. There was a sliver of a silver lining amongst the vast amount of clouds, as Parrett and Cooper picked up a wicket apiece to ensure that it wasn’t all plain sailing for the Merlins.
In what was a humbling defeat, the Ramblas learned a valuable lesson; beware of Greeks bearing gifts. But we dust ourselves down and look forward to continuing our friendly rivalry with old foes Petts Wood next week.
Ramblas MVP: While it wasn’t a game for the memoirs, for his masterful 44 to help us post a nearly-but-not-quite-decent total, this week’s MVP is Neil Missen.