THERE were two contrasting knockout cup finals at a sun-baked Grayshott on Sunday.

Puttenham, the I’Anson leaders, were predictably too strong for Division Two side Elstead and retained the Stevens Cup, while Dogmersfield squeezed home by just one run against Frensham to win the supplementary Pope Cup.

Elstead made the positive decision to bat first and were given a flyer by Dave Tye (21) and Australian Nathern Thomas (21) as Aks Ilyas came in for some unusual punishment.

The pair put on 40, but it was a different story when Ahsan Ahmed and Sajad Hussain took the pace off the ball. Mubarak Ahmed made a leisurely 31 before being run out, but the other batsmen struggled and Elstead went from 70-3 to 107-9 after their 16 eight-ball overs.

Elstead needed to bowl well in defence of their modest total, but the first over went for 16 and the initiative was gone, especially with skipper Faz Syed handicapped by a swollen spinning finger.

Sajad Hussain and James Crouch looked in little trouble as they put on 51 in quick time. Crouch drove the ball with increasing power and reached an accomplished half-century before running himself out when the scores were level.

Puttenham cruised home by six wickets, with two overs to spare.

When everyone had regained their hearing after the eardrum-splitting music laid on by Andy Wheble, I’Anson chairman Simon Whitley presented the Stevens Cup to Aks Ilyas and the man-of-the-match bat to James Crouch.

The fiery bowling of Maraj Shinwari gave Dogmersfield the edge against Frensham in the Pope Cup final, but it was mighty close.

Dogmersfield’s total of 127-9 was not great, but it looked much better when Shinwari twice shattered the stumps with perfect yorkers in the first over of Frensham’s reply.

Adam Pailing and Ben Maxwell then put Frensham in a winning position, but their fluent partnership was ended by an unnecessary run-out.

A flurry of boundaries from Harvey Herrington and Adam Goulder kept Frensham on track before Shinwari returned to again send the bails flying.

Even so, Frensham were poised for victory with 12 wanted off the last eight balls, especially with Yassir Hussain starting the final over with two wides.

Four wanted off four balls, but Herrington and Tim Knight couldn’t quite pull it off. A single off the last ball would have tied the scores and Frensham would have won on fewer wickets lost. Herrington missed a widish delivery and a whooping Dogmersfield celebrated victory.

Skipper Imran Choudhary received the Pope Cup from competitions’ treasurer Suzanne Munday and Maraj Shinwari was named man of the match.

Andy Rooke, chairman of the I’Anson’s knockout competitions, thanked Grayshott CC for staging another successful Finals Day, watched by good crowds. Grayshott spared nothing in their efforts, least of all Phil Coleshill who spent most of a baking hot day manning the barbecue. And jolly good grub it was too.