Another week and another replacement fixture saw the Ramblas defeated by 69 runs against Leybourne.
The Ramblas were originally due to face old foes Petts Wood but when they dropped out during the week, Leybourne stepped up to the plate to host. Captain Cooper had no trouble getting a side out, with Jake Stratford making making his second appearance for the club.
Cooper won the toss and elected to bowl first, keen to see how the wicket and outfield would play. It was a choice he soon regetted as Leybourne opener J. Bray smashed the ball to all parts, showcasing batting ability way beyond that of Sunday social cricket.
The Ramblas rotated bowlers to no avail, with only Stratford escaping the onslaught as the hosts reached the drinks break at 197-1 after twenty overs. The sole wicket came when Steve Fitch picked up the wicket of Palmer for 51.
With the hosts going at a lick under ten an over, it would have been very easy for heads to drop but after the drinks break, the visitors returned to the field with renewed vigour. Cooper nabbed the first wicket after drinks when McGinty found Ben Sheridan at point.
A fantastic piece of fielding from Chris Thomas saw the Ramblas seamer dismantle the stumps with a direct hit to run out Hookway, sparking new life into the Ramblas cause.
Fitch and Thomas came back into the attack and combined beautifully to put pressure back on Leybourne. Thomas’ second spell saw him pick up three wickets; two delicious off cutters doing for T. Bray and Hasler and a sharp, high catch from Cooper saw Smith depart.
Quick thinking from Luke Sheridan saw Bergum run out before Fitch picked up two more wickets, clean bowling Ellis and Ryan. James Dilley came on in place of Thomas and picked up the final wicket of the innings thanks to a catch from Cooper at square leg.
Leybourne finished on 311, a big total that was going to be hard to chase. But considering the situation at drinks, it was a terrific fightback that gave the visitors cause for hope.
As both teams headed back to the pavilion to the news of more Ashes heroics at Headingley, all eyes soon turned to the chase. With the required run rate just under eight an over, Mark Loughlin and L. Sheridan were tasked with getting the Ramblas off to a strong start.
Sadly the strong start must have been stuck on the M20 as L. Sheridan and Drew Smith departed in back to back overs to see the Ramblas on 17-2 off six overs. B. Sheridan was in at four and looked in good touch as he and Loughlin took the total past the fifty mark.
Alas, just as the visitors looked to be in a strong position disaster struck when B. Sheridan and Matt Rudgyard were dismissed in successive deliveries to leave the Ramblas in a perilous position.
Despite all the chaos around him, Loughlin was in fine fettle. Punishing anything loose and applying pressue with some quick running. Stratford, elevated to six, ably supported Loughlin but wasn’t afraid to go big when needed. After hitting a beautiful six over deep mid wicket, Stratford was caught behing for 16.
Parrett was the next man in, and while he may not have been at his most fluent, he combined well with Loughlin as the opener reached his first fifty of the season. The pair took the score to 125 before Parrett was caught at first slip.
Dilley was the next cab off the rank and he batted well before he was bowled for 8 by a ball that kept low. With a win all but out of the equation, Cooper came to the crease with a simple task at hand; see Loughlin through to his century.
Loughlin was batting like a man at the peak of his powers, and reaching his second Ramblas century in the 34th over to rapturous applause from his team mates. The century now in the bag, the batters knew they could treat themselves to a bit of a swing.
After a few lusty swipes, Cooper finally connected with one that raced to the long on boundary before we was caught for 11. The pair put on 75 for the eigth wicket, taking the score to 227-8.
A couple of quick cameos from Thomas and Fitch, to go with some big hits from Loughlin saw the Ramblas finish their innings on 242-9 off 40 overs.
While it may have been a heavy defeat for the Ramblas, it was great to see the heart of the team shine through as they battled back from a disastrous first twenty overs in the field. They head to Hildenborough next week, keen to get back to winning ways.
Ramblas MVP: For his 135* to help us post a more than respectible total, and become the club’s all time leading run scorer, this week’s MVP is Mark Loughlin.