FINCHAMPSTEAD and Tring Park notched up 633 runs between them in a long drawn-out match on Saturday, writes Dave Wright.

The hosts did threaten to emerge victorious for a brief moment late on, but for much of the time a draw always looked the more likely result in a match which did not finish until just before 8.15pm.

Finchampstead put the game out of Tring's reach by scoring 353-9 before declaring after 58 overs with Oli Soames making 94 on his home debut.

This left them 62 overs of bowling, but they managed to take only eight wickets as the visitors held out at 280-8 with Chloe Hill, the only female playing in Division One of the Home Counties Premier League, at the crease.

Earlier, the 22-year-old wicket-keeper had denied Soames a century by catching him off an Andy Harris delivery, shortly after she had dropped him.

The Hampshire county player scored his 94 off 88 deliveries, hitting 13 boundaries in the process.

Soames was involved in a misunderstanding with Dan Lincoln which saw the skipper run out for 39 to bring an end to a second-wicket stand of 99.

Opener Soames was the fourth man out at 173, but the runs continued to flow with the 300 coming up in the 49th over.

Josh Lincoln blasted 69 from 43 balls with two maximums and 10 fours, while Ryan Bone needed just 36 balls to make 43, which included a six and five fours. The pair put on 112 for the sixth wicket, reaching three figures in just 64 balls.

With 353-9 on the board, skipper Lincoln decided to call his side in early, to give Finch 62 overs in which to try to bowl out a side skippered by former Berkshire player Shelvin Gumbs.

Despite losing Alex Woodland with the total on 22, Tring batted sensibly, taking very few chances, and it soon became clear the Finch bowlers were not going to find it easy to take wickets.

Opener Steve Clark, with 97 off 125 balls, and Michael Payne, 52 from 57, added 84 for the third wicket, followed by another stand of 89 by Payne and Gumbs (36).

Clark, Gumbs and Mohamad Choudhry all departed in the space of seven runs to raise hopes of a Finch victory, but the Tring tailenders managed to hold out despite having up to eight fielders surrounding the bat.

Darron Augustus finished with 3-68 off 14 overs, while Zac Jones claimed 2-46 from 10.

Finchampstead, sixth in the table, visit fourth-placed Banbury this coming Saturday.