A classic batting collapse (and a bit of misfortune) precipitated defeat for the Ramblas, as their fourteenth season came to a close on a sunny September Sunday down in Kent.
And it had all started so promisingly, as stand-in skipper Chris Thomas won the toss and chose to bat…
Alas, after a watchful start from openers Jonny Stocks and Mark Loughlin saw the good balls kept out and the (admittedly rare) bad ones duly punished, the former’s dismissal (we never think we’re out when given LBW, do we..?) saw things quickly go from bad to worse.
Within what felt like a blink of the eye, 18-1 became 55-6. Drew Smith may have immediately regretted his decision to re-take his mark, getting bowled the very next ball, before injury cruelly curtailed WG Jas(on Christensen)’s day – rest up, mate!
The next few overs then resembled scenes from a timber yard, with wood flying everywhere, as first Mark Loughlin (following a well-paced 33), then Tom Howgego and Laurie Stocks saw their stumps shattered.
From such a perilous position, talk on the sidelines was of the Ramblas aiming to scratch their way to 130 in the hope of putting on something approaching a defendable score. Thankfully, vice-captain Matt Rudgyard and James Dilley had other ideas.
The right-and-left combo began watchfully, but the big hits that both are renowned for were soon on display. They put on a much-needed partnership of 55, before Dilley was caught and bowled by one that rushed him a little to be dismissed for a fine 35 – claiming his highest score for the Ramblas to boot.
It’s not unkind to say that it was now just the tail left to support Rudgyard, so while he and Dilley had helped the visitors approach respectability, they were still staring ignominy square in the face.
Although Rudgyard and Duane Hall showed no fear in the face of despair, both smiting sixes to take the attack to the hosts, that momentum was snuffed out as quickly as it appeared, Hall departing for a quick-fire 11. Steve Fitch (1) and then Thomas (3) somehow stuck around long enough to give Rudgyard the lion’s share of the strike to reach a fine half-century that had dragged the Ramblas – limping and screaming – to 158 at the end of their innings.
Following a fine tea and welcome solace in the shade – particularly for the sweat-sodden Rudgyard – it was back into battle with ball in hand for the Ramblas.
While the traditional opening pair of Dilley and Thomas were unable to make an early breakthrough, they kept things tight before J. Stocks started the fireworks and got Ramblas’ hopes up with a couple of now trademark caught and bowled scalps bookending another wicket in a fine season for Fitch.
At 54-3, the hosts were over a third of the way to their target and still very much the favourites, but when J. Stocks got his third of the day a short while after, this time dismantling the furniture with a beaut of an in-swinger, the Ramblas could sense the faintest whiff of victory in the Kent air.
That whiff, however, turned out to belong to the horse in the field next door, as the hosts batted with composure to chip away at the total, with not even another Fitch wicket enough to stop the inevitable as they reached their target with just the five wickets down.
It was another fine contest to follow last year’s Ramblas victory, and hope abounds for a return fixture next year.
Ramblas MVP: While Jonny Stocks’s stunning four-over spell gave the Ramblas not only a timely reminder of his bowling prowess, but also some small hope, it was Matt Rudgyard‘s that dragged the Ramblas’ batting past respectability and to a more defendable total.
And so another season comes to an end. It was one where results may not have matched performances (though we definitely got what we deserved in a few games), but with change in the air and some new faces in the fold, there’s still plenty of optimism in the air for 2024. #COYR