The Rambas losing streak continued after a batting collapse saw them succumb to a 76 run defeat to Tatsfield.
The Ramblas travelled to Downe to take on Tatsfield. The new ground saw our skipper Matt Rudgyard uncharacteristically win the toss. Opting to field first, Rudgyard asked Ganesh Ghube and Michael Cooper to open the bowling.
The bowlers did not let the skipper down, with both picking up a wicket in their first overs. Firstly it was Ghube, clean bowling the opener with a beautiful yorker, and then a catch at deep cover from Mark Loughlin off Cooper saw Tatsfield’s number three dismissed.
Cooper thought he had the dangerous Ellis out in his third over but Laurie Stocks was unable to snaffle the chance at first slip. Ellis made use of the extra life, dispatching the ball all over the field as he raced to his fifty in the blink of an eye.
Steve Fitch and Loughlin came into the attack in place of Ghube and Cooper respectively. Fitch continued his excellent form with the ball, clean bowling Harber to pick up his first wicket of the day. With the score on 100-3, Fitch made the key breakthrough when he had Ellis caught on the deep square leg boundary by Loughlin for 65.
He then claimed his third wicket when Heasman picked out Loughlin at square leg, his fourth coming an over later when he cleaned bowled Stovell. Betwen these wickets, Loughlin trapped Hennis LBW to top a fine four over spell.
Fitch and Loughlin were replaced in attack by Duane Hall and Geoff Parrett. The latter claimed the eighth wicket with an absolute peach of a delivery that bamboozled Maynard and bowled him for 2. Hall took the final two wickets of the game, one courtesy of yet another catch from Loughlin and the other clean bowling Tatsfield’s number 11.
The hosts were all out for 169, and the Ramblas knew that they were well in the game considering Tatsfield were 102-4 at the drinks break.
With the usual openers unavailable, Parrett joined Loughlin at the crease. The pair were watchful in the early exhanges but you can’t keep Parrett quiet for too long, the new opener smashing a short ball over the square leg boundary and into the road.
Alas Loughlin was dismissed, trapped LBW for 5 with a ball that kept low. The wicket brought Jason Christensen to the crease and together with Parrett put on thirteen for the second wicket before he was caught in the deep for 3. Rudgyard was in at four but only lasted four balls before picking out the fielder in deep.
Parrett unfurled another pair of delightful sixes, taking the team total to 50 before he was also caught in the deep for a fine 33. The wicket of Parrett took the momentum out of the innings, as the Ramblas slumped from 50-4 to 69-9, with the middle order all back in the club house in the blink of an eye.
The flurry of wickets brought Cooper and Fitch to the crease, with the duo hoping to go one better than the previous week. Although they couldn’t drag their team to victory, their 24 run partnership was the highest of the innings and included a glorious six from Fitch that had the visitors in raptures.
While it wasn’t our finest hour with the bat, morale is still high as we return to home comforts next week as we take on Telston & Mereworth.
Ramblas MVP: Tips of the hat to Geoff Parrett for his swashbuckling 33 opening the batting to go with his wicket, and to Mark Loughlin for his four catches in the field. But for his four wickets with the ball and 15 with the bat, this week’s MVP is Steve Fitch.