Finchampstead captain Dan Lincoln was full of praise for his side after they drew their second 120 overs match of the season against Tring Park in a high scoring encounter.
He was pleased with the performance of his team after they continued their strong start to their 120 overs campaign having defeated Aston Rowant in the previous match.
“I think one of the most pleasing factors about the score was that there were good contributions from four or five players throughout the batting line-up which allowed us to declare eight overs early,” said Lincoln.
“Another pleasing factor of our batting performance was that we were able to reign in the scoring for the last 30 or 40 minutes of our innings just so we could keep Tring out in the field on what was a really sunny and hot day, so we could continue to tire them mentally and physically.”
Finch won the toss and elected to bat first as the opening batting pair of Oli Soames and Adam Dewes managed to total 41 runs before the first wicket of the day fell with Dewes being bowled out by Simon Stanway.
With captain Dan Lincoln up at the crease next, he and opening batsman Soames were able to forge a sturdy partnership for the hosts as they smashed past the century mark. Lincoln hit a four and two sixes on his way to scoring a quick tally of 39 before he was run out by Simon Stanway with Finchampstead in a fortuitous position at 140-2.
Tring’s bowler appeals after bowling to Dan Lincoln.
Tring then gained a quick consecutive wicket to put Finch in a bit of trouble as Billy Rogers fell for just eight runs with Finch at 150-3. The game was then tipped into the balance as Tring claimed the crucial wicket of Soames on 94 as he was caught out, having batted a tremendous innings which saw the opener smash 13 fours.
Tony Albert then went for 17 but with the score at 194-5, Finch built another superb partnership with Josh Lincoln and Ryan Bone at the middle. The pair knocked an abundance of boundaries as Finch stormed past the 300 mark before Lincoln eventually fell for 69, and Bone quickly on 43 with the score at 308-7.
Finch declared on 353 with one wicket remaining having batted for 58 overs, but despite their impressive batting display, they weren’t able to match it in the field.
“We didn’t quite fire in the bowling department on the day and the lads would be the first to agree with that,” added Lincoln.
“Having said that, the wicket was pretty good considering both sides hit a combined total of nearly 650 runs in the day.”
Despite getting a couple of relatively early wickets, Steven Clark hit a huge innings of 97 for Tring before he was finally caught out by Dan Lincoln from the bowling of Darren Augustus.
Tring were unable to keep up with the required run rate in order to try and surpass the target set by Finch, despite several decent innings including a half century hit by Michael Payne.
Oli Soames batting
Finch weren’t able to bowl their opponents out in order to secure victory, but Lincoln praised the efforts of his side as they prevented Tring from getting close to the chase.
“Dewes bowled a fantastic spell in the middle of their innings which squeezed the life out of the game, although he didn’t pick up any wickets, he only conceded 17 runs from six overs which was vital for us.”
The draw leaves Finchampstead in sixth position in the Home Counties Premier League having played seven matches as they prepare to travel away to face Banbury at the weekend.
