Finchampstead ran off with the league title firmly cemented in their hands until they dropped the baton and had to settle for second place.
Chris Britz – the Finchampstead overseas – was on desperately good form, finishing second in the League batting rankings, despite only playing 14 games. With an average of over 54, 6 half-centuries and a century to his name, Finchampstead was sure to win the league.
But with his departure, Lewis Sharp described his disappointment at not carrying on the forward momentum into the final few games.
“I think it’s safe to say we bottled it. That’s been the talk of the league, and people I’ve caught up with are wondering how we didn’t win it.
“We wanted to show the league that we weren’t just reliant on those two guys going into the final few weeks.”
However, the young side has an optimistic outlook on the 2024 season, as Sharp explains, “On the whole, we have to take it as a massive positive. If you had offered us second place at the start of the year, we would have bitten your hand off for it.
“We said going into it if we could get a top-half finish, that would be realistic as we’ve been fighting the relegation battle the past three seasons.”
Going into the season’s final game, four teams could win the league had results gone their way. It slammed the metaphorical saucepan onto the fire for some teams: the pressure boiling over.
“As a group, we felt pressure. We’d be lying if we said we didn’t. But the feedback we got from the club was that we’d done ourselves proud. We put more pressure on ourselves in the week before losing to Banbury. That didn’t help us, but it’s one of those things.”
After several seasons in the relegation zone, Finchampstead had turned their run of form around, competing at the very top all year round and, at one point, well clear of the rest of the pack.
“Britz’s contribution, along with Gregg at the top of the order, was great.”
“Having some of the team, who were previously at Uni and had perhaps spent some time out in Australia, come back slightly more mature and experienced going into the season made a massive difference.”
Alongside some added maturity, Finch prides themselves on their dedication towards their independent skills during the winter, especially when coming together as a side seemed so tricky.
“Many of our guys are at Uni or in Australia over the winter. It becomes tricky to socialise regularly, but we’ll get together at Christmas and have a couple of training sessions when everyone returns.
“A lot of it is based on individual skills. No matter where you are, get your work done. It’s nice a lot of us are now local, with Marles and a few others signing, so we can train together. In previous winters, only two players have been at training as everyone is at Uni or away.”
With the individual prep being done, Finch has looked at outsiders to the setup to ensure that they remain performing at the top of the table, hoping that Chris Brtiz will return for another season in 2025.
“We’ve brought Marles in. He’s been away for six years now. He’s going to be a massive signing for us. He’s been a high performer for several years, and this consistency is something we crave.
“We’ve got players who can go out and hit those match-winning innings or bowl their hearts out but aren’t doing it as consistently as those people winning leagues are.”
“We’ve also brought in Eddie Campion. He’s played his club cricket in Surrey and has been at Middlesex Academy for the last few years. He’ll come in as a left-arm spinner and a mid-order batter, strengthening our side with both bat and ball. We wanted to bring in another spinner to compliment Sam.”
This added strength will enable the Finch XI to maintain consistency throughout the season. Sharp described how Britz’s consistency at the top enabled other players to flourish, playing their naturally aggressive game.
“As long as you’re practising it and trying to drill things, if you get out reverse-sweeping, then we don’t have an issue with it.
“We’ve got into a position where, perhaps in previous years, we’ve struggled; we’re trying to let people be more expansive and express themselves. It played off last year. Having people like Marles and Britz as consistent players allows people to play their natural game. “
Every team knows that having a strong start to the league in the pink ball 50/50 format is instrumental in gaining momentum for the longer form.
That means that despite individuals completing their preparation, the team must get together and mesh well, developing relationships on and off the pitch.
“From a training perspective, we get it right off the field. We get a bad rep for being the young lads who enjoy a beer, but we pride ourselves on having a good time.
“People don’t see the work we put in during the week. We may be gobby and have a lot to say for ourselves, but we hit the nail on the head for training. We make our sessions as competitive as possible, regardless of the drill.
“On the pitch, we had a simple game plan. One batter must face a hundred balls, and bowlers must maximise dot balls. As a base model, that was good for us as a young group – having a clear plan as batters and bowlers.
“I don’t think that will change too much.”
Looking ahead to next season and the teams that Sharp believes will be good to play against, he explained:
“I think with Henley, there will be some unfinished business – a few things got fiery towards the end of last year.”
“It will be interesting to see how Stoke Green plays; their wicket can do some interesting things.”
