AFTER making the arduous trip to Sanderstead, near Croydon, Churt left frustrated, having failed to winkle out the Trinity Mid-Whitgiftian tail and thus dropped 14 points, allowing Stoke D’Abernon to snatch back the lead in Division Four of the Surrey Championship.

Churt were put in and found themselves up against comfortably the sharpest bowler they have faced this season, with Trinity captain Matt Winter moving the ball both in the air and off the seam at pace.

Dan Higgins and Will Hucker thus did well to put on 40 in eight overs before Winter bowled a rare bad ball and Hucker obligingly spooned up a catch. Higgins was caught behind in Winter’s next over and, thereafter, Churt struggled to support Toby Finneran who played another fine innings for his side.

At 126-5, Churt were teetering, but Finneran was now motoring and and he found a partner in Dave Thomas. The score had moved to 163 when Finneran was bowled by Winter for 71 off 104 balls.

Rowley Marshall quickly became Winter’s fourth victim, but Thomas and Greg Talbot shared another useful stand as Churt cantered to 205-8 declared after 51 overs.

Oli Plaistowe (9-3-16-2) and Greg Talbot (8-0-26-3) then bowled with serious craft and guile and put Trinity out of contention at 35-5.

Churt, however, met stern resistance from Jamie Hutchinson and Sameer Khan who batted watchfully against spinners Marshall and Ben Mitchell and advanced the score to 85.

With the overs ticking away fast, Khan finally gave a return catch to Mitchell and, ten runs later, the stubborn Hutchinson, after hitting Marshall for two lofted fours, went for a third and picked out Hucker in the deep.

Josh Williams, having dropped a catch, had the mindset to grab the ball and throw it to Marshall who ran out Yousaf Zahari. Anthony Brady followed, edging Marshall to Mitchell in the slips, and Churt looked poised for victory at 108-9 with nine overs left.

However, the last pair of Winter and Gunjal Patel offered a steely defence and gave only one sharp chance as they steered Trinity to 116-9 and a hard-earned draw.

Churt host third-placed Hampton Wick Royal at the Rec this Saturday.