Contributions from across the board helped the Ramblas end their eight-match losing streak, with a tense win against Tatsfield.

Yes, stop the clocks. Hold the front page. Shut the front door… the Ramblas have finally tasted victory thanks to a 31-run win in which they were made to work hard for. Perhaps harder than they should’ve had to.

Losing the toss, Matt Rudgyard saw his team put into bat and Seth Clifford wisely chose not to face first ball this week, as he and Jonny Stocks steadily laid the foundations for a textbook innings. With Clifford departing having been deceived by a slower ball, Jason Christensen was in next and in fine shape until a worldie of a catch in the covers saw the end of a promising innings.

Stocks reached a fine half-century, while contributions continued at the other end throughout the order, with Mark Loughlin’s 33 key in upping the tempo before a late-innings partnership between Duane Hall and Chris Thomas added some welcome extra runs to take the hosts to 247/7.

Another fine tea was scoffed (is there anywhere better to eat on a Sunday in the SE London area…?) and the Ramblas dragged their already weary – and now cake-filled – bodies to the pitch to defend a decent-looking total.

Ganesh Ghube was in miserly form from the Tennis Courts End, as his opening six-over spell yielded two wickets for just 16 runs to make some important inroads. Thomas and Hall couldn’t quite find their rhythm in their opening spells, but Loughlin and then Geoff Parrett came in for a fabulous mid-innings exhibition of bowling that swung the balance back in the Ramblas’ favour.

Parrett gave no indication that it was his first game of the season (sans any nets, too) with a fabulous nagging line and length and subtle variations that stemmed the run rate and was rewarded with two excellent wickets, with Loughlin also snagging his own deserved (and now obligatory) wicket.

Steve Fitch replaced Loughlin and after a shaky found a good rhythm to claim two wickets – including the prized scalp of the Tatsfield opener who had made an excellent and largely chanceless ton. The bowler’s frustration/eagerness to take the all-important wicket was evidenced moments before as a steepler fell into no man’s land and Fitch bellowing “Someone put a name on it”. Reports of him stomping his foot at the same time can be neither confirmed or denied.

Alas, he eventually got his man with one that reared up a little and was nicked through to the gloves of Rudgyard, with the batsman immediately walking having kept his team right in the mix.

That left the visitors seven down, but with the target still tantalisingly in touch, a tense final 10 overs were in store.

With Fitch and Parrett taking their leave, Hall and Thomas were brought back into the attack and with Tatsfield now needing only around eight runs an over to secure a fine victory, they knew one big over could easily swing the balance back towards the hosts.

Thankfully, despite a couple of boundary-laden overs, the pair did as they had at the end of their batting innings and saw their team through, Hall with two beautifully bowled wickets, before Thomas claimed the final victim LBW to secure the win.

On a glorious spring day, it was a well-contested game between two well-matched sides that could easily have gone the other way. But for the Ramblas, it was a suitably tense way to get the monkey of defeat off their backs.

Ramblas MVP: While the performances of Jonny Stocks, Geoff Parrett, Mark Loughlin and Steve Fitch in particular went a long way to recording victory, it was a true all-round team performance, with everyone contributing in the field by putting their bodies on the line, the batting line-up firing all the way through and a bowling unit that all took wickets. So, I’m copping out this week – sue me.