FINCHAMPSTEAD produced one of their best all-round performances of the season, but just fell short against Tring Park on Saturday, losing by two wickets in the final over, writes Dave Wright.

Put into bat on a wicket that looked full of runs, home openers Adam Dewes and Greg Smith put 50 runs on the board in the first 15 overs of their Home Counties Premier League Division One tussle.

Smith was run out for 25 and Andrew House was bowled for 11 before Finch reached the lunch interval at 109-2 with Dewes 49 not out.

Dewes and skipper Dan Lincoln lifted the total to 190, their partnership of 114 ending when Dewes played on to Andy Harris, his 84 coming from 158 balls and containing 10 boundaries.

Three runs later Simon Bell was caught and bowled by Rory Criddle, but Ryan Quinn joined Lincoln as the runs continued to flow.

Lincoln was lbw to Michael Payne for 85, which came off 99 deliveries and included two sixes and five fours, leaving Finch 240-5 with nine overs remaining.

Josh Lincoln took over from his brother and smashed 25 off 19 balls, while Quinn also stayed until the end, finding the boundary six times in his 44 from 33 deliveries as the innings closed on 292-6 from 64 overs.

Tring openers Andy Dixon and Alex Woodland put on 89 before the former was dismissed for 41, caught by Greg Smith off the bowling of Dewes.

The Finch pair also combined to dismiss Woodland for 76, as well as Charlie Macdonnell for seven, leaving the visitors 174-3 in 40 overs. Without any addition to the total, Payne (42) fell to another fine catch, this time by Quinn at long on off the bowling of James Woodford and Dan Lincoln ran out Liam Gough for a duck.

But Tring recovered well from this triple setback with skipper Shelvin Gumbs and David Brent comfortably putting on 97 in 12 overs.

Bent was caught by Dan Lincoln off Dewes for 47 and the spinner bowled Andy Harris for one, the seventh wicket going down at 257.

Former Berkshire batsman Gumbs produced some lusty blows – including three sixes – to leave his side needing five runs to win from the final over.

Smith ran out Criddle, but another mighty strike by Gumbs saw his side home with four balls to spare, leaving him unbeaten on 66 from 47 deliveries. The win took Tring to the top of the table.

Dewes returned 4-94 from 20.2 overs, Woodford 1-72 (14) and Rehan Akram 1-69 (10).

Finch, who took 12 points from the match to stay third from bottom in the table, now face two successive away fixtures, starting at fourth-placed Banbury this Saturday.

Finchampstead 2nds crashed to a heavy defeat at table-topping Beaconsfield in Division 2b of the Thames Valley League, being dismissed for 126 on a difficult wicket as they replied to their hosts’ 226-9 with Sam Taylor taking 5-54.

In Division 3a, Finchampstead 3rds were also beaten at leaders Fleet. Finch made 210-8 with Michael O’Donoghue making 104 and Ian Rose 38. The home side reached their target for the loss of five wickets.

Finchampstead 4ths made 262-9 (Ben Simmons 87, Kartic Kanthi 53) but Taplow 2nds, aided by dropped catches, replied with 264-7 in Division 6b.

There was a truly remarkable game on the club’s second wicket in Division 9a.

Visitors Maidenhead & Bray 4ths posted a formidable 289-8, but that proved no problem for Finchampstead 5ths, winning by 10 wickets with 17-year-old James Brown making 172 and Simon Eldridge 104, his second century this month.