FINCHAMPSTEAD completed a profitable month with a five-wicket win at Thame to move up to seventh place in the Division One table, writes Dave Wright.

In recent weeks they have been racking up vital bonus points from drawn games and defeats, but on Saturday recorded the maximum 25 points against one of the sides they had lost to earlier in the season.

They were the only one of the bottom four sides to win last weekend and, rather than looking anxiously over their shoulders, Finch are now setting their sights on moving further up the table.

But, a week after taking on the bottom of the table side, they host leaders Aston Rowant this Saturday – a real test for a team growing in confidence.

“It’s going to be a tough challenge for us as they have lost only once this season, but it is a game we are really looking forward to,” said skipper Dan Lincoln.

“We will go into the match on a high after what was a vital win at Thame as they had beaten us at the start of the season.”

After 14 runs had come off the first six balls, the hosts were on 17 in the third over when Ryan Quinn bowled Callum Russell for 15 and one run later Darren Augustus knocked back Rob Straugahan’s stumps before he had scored. Then Craig Hodges removed Gammi Kanishwa with the Thame total on 47.

Augustus picked up his second wicket thanks to a fine one-handed gully catch by Adam Dewes and Finch continued to make inroads into the hosts’ innings.

But steady batting from Jimmy Adams and Hassam Mushtaq lifted their side from 87-6 to 131 before the latter was snapped up by keeper Simon Bell off the bowling of Hodges.

When Adams (37) was also caught behind off spinner James Woodford, it was 145-8 and the last two wickets fell cheaply, leaving Thame all out for 149 after 48 overs.

Hodges returned 3-28 off 10 overs with two wickets apiece for Quinn (2-22), Augustus (2-41) and Woodford (2-7), while Dewes had 1-11 from nine overs.

With 69 overs available, Finches needed a steady start in their victory quest, but Smith was soon lbw for seven, leaving Dewes and Ed Oliver to take the score along.

They took the total to 58 in 19 overs before Dewes was caught behind off spinner Mushtaq for a well produced 41.

Three overs later, Lincoln was caught at wide mid-off for 21, the wicket going down at 82.

Oliver and Quinn lifted the total to 109 when the former was bowled for 14 (off 66 balls) when attempting to pull a ball from Mike Higgs.

A good knock from Quinn ended at 30, caught in front of the sightscreen, but Bell (13) and Zaf Ali (20) comfortably steered Finches home at 153-5 in 41 overs.

In Division Two, opening batsman Salman Khalid (44) and No. 3 Dan Housego (42) batted well for Wokingham (229-8), but they had to settle for a draw after allowing Chesham post 291-5 at Sadlers End.