FOUR wins on the bounce now for Churt in the Surrey Championship Division Four. Hosting Old Hamptonians at the Rec, Churt again won an important toss and their bowlers took advantage of helpful conditions after morning rain.

The Hampton side had endured a difficult journey and the start time was put back by 15 minutes to accommodate this.

Dan Higgins duly inserted the opposition, but at first it looked a dodgy decision as Neil Lizieri and Mudassar Chaudhary hit a flurry of boundaries off the usually frugal Oli Plaistowe and Greg Talbot.

The first five overs having yielded 43 runs, Talbot then bowled both Lizieri and Matt Bendelow in the sixth, with the latter playing no shot. And it was 48-3 in the next over as Robbie Chhabra trapped Chaudhary plumb in front. Talbot and Chhabra then bowled tightly as Simon Morris and Toby Godfray tried to rebuild the innings.

The score had moved to 72 in the 14th over when Talbot induced an edge and keeper Arran Higgins took a fine one-handed catch.

At 102-4 after 25 overs, with Godfray and skipper Richard Brown looking solid, honours were about even, but things went very much Churt’s way after the break. An Exocet throw from Toby?Finneran broke the stand and, in the next over, Godfray decided to take on the same fielder, only for the same bullet arm to dispatch him to join his seething captain in the shed.

In the same over, Josh Williams claimed his first wicket and when Elliott Morley hit his first ball from Ben Mitchell to Dan Higgins at silly mid-off, Hamptonians were 108-8.

Williams (3-5 in 14 balls) brought the innings to an abrupt close and Hamptonians were all out for 114 in the 32nd over, the last six wickets having fallen for 10 runs.

Churt had 55 minutes to bat before tea and Dan Higgins promptly took 16 from Ben Dowse’s second over. A flying start, but by the interval both Hucker and Higgins (23) were back in the pavilon.

Needing 51 runs on the restart, Finneran and, in particular, Mitchell decided to get the job done in quick time. The Australian hit some mighty blows and Churt raced home in the 23rd over, Mitchell having made 56 not out off 38 balls. Finneran was unbeaten on 25.

Churt visit fellow promoted side Stoke D’Abernon this Saturday.