Trinity taught lesson by ruthless home side
TRINITY Mid-Whitgiftian's winning hopes were dealt a blow as Farnham emerged with a hard-fought three-wicket victory on Saturday.
Having lost the toss and been invited to bat first, Mids occupied their full 55 over allocation as they ground their way to 194-6 with a batting display which was diligent and resolute if somewhat lacking in flair.
Mids' cautious approach was perhaps understandable after last week's capitulation to Esher but the outcome of the match owed much to their failure to look for scoring opportunities.
Captain Richard Nowell made a welcome half-century including some beautiful cover drives to set Mids on their way after Ben Shorten had been caught behind for 14 in the 11th over.
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He eventually fell to a superb diving catch from opposite number Guy Hicks in the slips but Stewart Sales and Tommy Smith kept Mids on a solid footing before Sales was given out lbw to Goldsworthy for 20.
However, the scoring rate remained below par as a disciplined Farnham attack bowled consistently in the right places and Mids struggled to penetrate the field.
Smith produced another mature innings, sharing a stand of 60 with Seb Miles who, although not at his most fluent, made another valuable contribution in the middle order.
Unfortunately, neither batsman could master the bowling sufficiently to achieve the required acceleration in the final overs, Smith finishing unbeaten on 46 when time ran out.
Farnham lost Ben Ungaretti in the fifth over of their reply as Matt Winter took out his middle stump.
Hicks looked a threat, reaching 20 very quickly before Nowell snapped up a straight-forward chance at slip off Winter's bowling.
Caines and Rooney added 44 to put Farnham on top once again before Caines was caught off a top edge and Raper was then run out cheaply by his partner to leave the hosts wobbling uncertainly on 86-4.
Unfortunately, the rain which swept across the ground during the second innings nullified the threat of spinners Ali Abbas and Raj Chatwal and batsmen Rooney and O'Mahony took advantage.
Rooney reached his 50 before he was caught by Nowell off Brugnoli but the experienced O'Mahony batted with skill and composure to produce what would ultimately prove to be the match-winning contribution.
Mids were once again guilty of bowling too many loose deliveries as O'Mahony scored a crucial 60 to take his side to within 20 runs of victory.
Smith eventually found the edge of his bat to claim his first wicket for Mids and followed it up moments later as Nowell took his third catch of the day at slip to dismiss Goddon.
However, the breakthrough came too late to save Mids from defeat as Matthews guided Farnham over the finish line with three overs to spare.
Mids are set to face another stern examination on Saturday when they take on high-flying Worcester Park at Lime Meadow.
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