The overcast cloudy conditions at the start were not part of the forecast. After winning the toss Finches skipper Dan Marles asked Harefield to bat first. The move soon paid off as although 29 runs had been scored by Harefield in seven overs opener Daniel Ogden fell caught behind off seamer Ben Salter. Three overs later Lewis Sharp bowled Tom McLeod so a 36 – 2 scoreline.

At 53 opener Zain Ali fell lbw to spinner Eddie Campion followed in the 24th over, another caught behind this time off Liam Bulteel. Harefield at 63 – 4 faced a difficult task and this proved the case as the fifth and sixth wickets had fallen by 84 in 30 overs. Samm Daniel and Liam Bulteel took the wickets.

At 111 the resistance by Will Shepherd ended caught and bowled by James Woodford for 27. The last three wickets fell for only 8 more runs. Samm took two and James the other so Harefield were dismissed for a modest 119 in 38 overs. For Finch Samm Daniel took 3 – 29 and there were two apiece for Liam Bulteel and James Woodford. Jed Crerar took four catches as ‘keeper.

Opening with James Isbell and Tommie Predgen the pair raced to 47 in 7 overs. Then Tommie was caught for 26. At 82 James also fell caught for 41 after some fine strokes. When at 90 Greg Smith was also caught there were still only 14 overs bowled. No more wickets as Finches eased home at 120 – 3 in just 17 overs for the comfortable win, with Ben Salter 28 not out.
With leaders High Wycombe and second placed Oxford Downs both winning Finches continue to face a task to keep up the pressure on the two clubs. Three matches remaining with the good result over Harefield being an encouragement for Finches.

Finch 2nd XI

Finch 2’s travelled to struggling Sulhampstead and after winning the toss opted to bat and ensure all batters had the chance to find form. A steady opening partnership of 34 was broken and this led to regular wickets leaving Finch in a perilous position with only 134 on the board for the loss of 6 wickets. Captain Stuart Parsons and Guy Ashby batted nicely however and took the score over 200 before Ashby fell. Parsons went through the gears brilliantly and aided by some sensible batting by the lower order was able to hit the penultimate ball of the innings for a huge 6 to bring up his century of only 93 balls. A top effort batting 7 under pressure and meant Finch posted 287-9; a score they would never have imagined at the half-way stage.

Much like the previous fixture between the sides, Sulhampstead frailties with the bat were very evident. The three-pronged seam attack of Anthony Parson, Paul Stephens and Adil Mohammed ripped through the batting order leaving the hosts 62-6 ensuring a Finch win would be a formality. Some small resistance whilst playing for bonus points in their bid for survival meant they were finally bowled out for 155. A comprehensive 132 run win for Finch who go back into 3rd spot.

Finch 3 Xl

Finch 3’s were home to bogey-side Binfield 2’s and chose to bat first on the leas hoping for better performance than last week. Joe Simmons made 40 opening the batting however other batters struggled and Finch were in trouble at 88-6. Captain Wes Roberts made an excellent 58 and late order hitting meant Finch crept over the 200 mark in their 45 overs finishing on 201-8.

Knowing the score was likely under par Finch needed to take early wickets however the tone was set by the Binfield openers registering an opening partnership of 84. Tight bowling from Matt Harper with 1-21 was the only highlight for Finch and Binfield ran out winners losing just 4 wickets with three overs remaining. Finch drop to 4th hoping for a good end to the season with availability picking up.

Finch 4th Xl

Finch 4’s were away to Bradfield 1’s and winning the toss Finch opted to bat as ever. They didn’t start particularly well losing the first 3 wickets with just 60 on the board. Ian Rose and Mike Smith however, batted well together during a 135-run 4th wicket partnership with Mike being dismissed for 43 with eight overs remaining. Ian made his way on to 99 but he was denied back-to-back centuries when he was unfortunately run out at the non-strikers end with the ball deflecting off the bowlers leg on his follow through. Ansh Tangturi’s late hitting meant Finch were still able to post 248-9 from their 45 overs.

Bradfield made their way to 50 without loss in reply however both openers were dismissed in consecutive overs. Finch squeezed well in the middle overs ensuring the run rate required steadily increased and regular wickets fell as a result. Yash Mahadik (3-31) and Ansh Tangturi (3-38) bowling well in partnership. Bradfield ended their innings on 192-9 giving Finch the win by 56 runs. Ten wins in a row for the 4’s and with 3rd place Newbury losing again a 28pt gap has now formed with the two teams playing each other on the final week.

Finch 5 XI

Finch 5’s feeling the full brunt of holiday season availability travelled to Cove 3’s and chose to field first. In a somewhat unprecedented turn of events Cove batted the full 40 overs without losing a single wicket and amassing 274. Former 1’s player Andrew Short smashing 177* off 140 balls. Safe to say our late secretary and previous writer of these reports would have had some choice words about Cove’s decision to play him in this Div 9 game! Good effort from Stuart McEwan only going for 36 from his 8 overs.

With a daunting chase ahead of them again Finch opener Tom Anderson continued his great form with another 74 at a run a ball. Unfortunately, no other batters were able to offer him much support and Finch were dismissed for 137 in just over 30 overs. They will look forward to the final three games of the season with two wins likely to be enough to avoid any relegation scares.

Club News

All funding is now in place for the redevelopment project of the changing rooms, kitchen, sports bar and groundman’s facilities with all necessary planning regulations also being met. A huge thank you should be said to our Sponsor’s Nirvana who have made up the necessary money required to add to the various funding received from the FA, Parish Council and sports teams. The latest plans are on show on the notice board outside the sports bar. Work is likely to commence end of September.

There will be a huge amount of work required before the project can begin emptying various cupboards and contents of all the buildings. Work parties will be organised and any local volunteers able to lend a hand will be gratefully appreciated. Very exciting knowing their will be brand new facilities ready for the 2026 cricket season!

On Bank Holiday Monday we once again host our annual youth 6-a-side tournament.