The Ramblas were on the wrong end of a low-scoring thriller, as hosts Eltham chased down 101 with just a few overs to spare.
A lost toss saw the Ramblas put in to bat, with captain Matt Rudgyard and Seth Clifford putting on a superbly battling partnership of 41 on a pitch hiding more than a few demons before the latter was run out by a bullet throw.
That wicket precipitated a rather Ramblas-y collapse, moving from 41/1 to 58/7 as runs became increasingly tough to come by in the face of good bowling and that tricky pitch. Alas, the tail did a version of wagging, with Ganesh Ghube even bravely attempting the scoop shot sans helmet on his way to an important 21 (alas, that same shot proved to be his undoing), while Messrs Fitch and Thomas combined for a last-wicket partnership of 21 to drag visitors kicking and screaming to a nice round 100.
Even the less wizened cricket goers know that isn’t really a very good total, but with a sticky outfield, big boundaries and a slightly misbehaving pitch, the Ramblas knew if they could hit their collective line and length, they could still make a game of it.
And that they did…
Ghube and the hungover Thomas opened the bowling, each taking a wicket (that latter thanks to a smart catch on the run by Drew Smith) and creating other half chances as they bowled their full allocation, before James Dilley and Geoff Parrett repeated the same trick; Dilley claiming his 50th Ramblas wicket (on the day he received his cap for 50 appearances), while Parrett combined twice with Thomas – first for a run out and then with the latter taking a catch at mid-off to leave the hosts maybe for the first time starting to feel a bit of pressure.
Alas, despite a worldie of a catch by Clifford off the bowling of Fitch to keep the batting side honest, Eltham were in the end relatively comfortable in reaching their target with 20 balls remaining to claim a four-wicket win.
Another 20 runs to defend would have made it interesting (but then if my auntie had wheels she’d be a bike), but the hosts’ bowling was sharp and made posting a big target a challenge. However, the Ramblas collective dug in extremely well while fielding to ensure it was no walkover.
Ramblas MVP: Seth Clifford helped set an important platform with the bat (and took a cracking catch), while Chris Thomas got his name in the runs, wickets, catches and run out columns, but this week it’s Ganesh Ghube who takes the plaudits for adding some attacking impetus with the bat and for ending with bowling figures of 7-2-7-1.