CUP finals Sunday, now firmly established in the I’Anson calendar, again delivered some compelling cricket as Puttenham and Frensham carried off the league’s two knockout trophies.

A sun-bathed Alfold Cricket Club was a new venue for the finals and the club did the competitions proud with their efficient and enthusiastic organisation. Nearly 200 spectators flocked to the Surrey village on the outer reaches of the I’Anson recruitment area, near the border with West Sussex.

It was a fairly close-run thing as Fresham saw off Elstead in the Pope Cup final, while Puttenham were rather more emphatic winners against Grayswood in the premier Stevens Cup final.

Puttenham captain Aks Ilyas chose to bat first and although the accurate Iain Jackson made an early breakthrough, a fluent partnership between James Crouch and Yamin Raja set the stage for the menacing Sohail Awan who ambled to the wicket at 73-2.

After running out Crouch (40), Awan immediately made amends with a series of towering sixes, showing little respect for the normally stingy Jon Ashworth, the spinner going for 30 in two eight-ball overs.

Not too keen on running, Sohail launched six sixes and just one four in his 34-ball 55 not out, giving the fielders plenty of ferreting in hedges in the process and accelerating Puttenham’s total to an intimidating 161-6 off the 16 overs.

Jackson gave Grayswood early hope with some clean hitting and a lovely straight six. At 75-1, they looked set for a good tilt at the target, but it all changed when James Crouch and Yamin Raja came into the attack.

Crouch bowled Jackson for 36 (39 balls) and the run-rate stalled as Raja took the pace off the ball to excellent effect.

Well supported by his fielders and keeper Seamus Leonard, Raja picked off the batsmen to finish with 6-31 – exceptional figures in this quickfire form of the game.

Grayswood’s challenge fizzled out and they were dismissed for 122 in the last over.

Competition president Keith Ellis praised Alfold for the way they had staged the finals and thanked the umpires and scorers. The man-of-the-match bat (adjudicator Malcolm Caird) went to Yamin Raja for his 25 runs and six wickets.

Earlier, in the Pope Final, Frensham captain Sam Farncombe had decided to bat first and his batsmen also posted a formidable total, 163-9, although it was ‘Extras’, top scorer with 41 (19 wides), that was the real difference between the sides.

Without those gifts, Frensham would have struggled because Josh Berry bowled particularly well while taking 5-24.

Tom Charman and Tom Smith played lively cameos, but it was the sixth-wicket partnership of 41 between opener Ryan Sherman (34) and Harvey Herrington (21) that put Frensham on the way to a hefty total.

Elstead replied with a second-wicket partnership of 87 between the stolid Andy Stedman and free-flowing Berry, but once the latter was out for 38, they fell further behind the run-rate.

Frensham were sharper in the field. Tom Smith caught and bowled Stedman for 36, while Prashant Solanki’s spectacular one-handed boundary catch gave Hally Baldock one of his four wickets.

A valiant Elstead were restricted to 147-7 and were left to rue those extras, Frensham winning by 16 runs.

Sam Farncombe received the Pope Cup from Keith Ellis and Josh Berry was named man of the match by Kevin Goodship.