Bowlers hold FD key, says Thorpe
ALAN THORPE'S Farnham side are aiming for their third Flora Doris Cup Final triumph in four years.
They take on Liphook at Normandy on Tuesday evening seeking to underline their domination of the competition, which is sponsored by the Surrey Advertiser. After surprisingly losing to Camberley last year, Farnham are keen to get back on the winning trail, no one more than Thorpe - who missed the semi-final against Farn-combe - and seamer Chic Stedman. The 50-year-old is looking forward to his 11th final, the first having been back in 1977 at Ewhurst. Thorpe said: "We've been there four years in a row now and were pretty upset when Camberley broke our run of wins last year. "We've never met Liphook in a final before but we've beaten each other once in the last four.
"Their strength now seems to be their bowling and we've got depth in that department too with Peter Dickinson, Paddy Murphy, Peter Richard-son and Chic as seamers plus Harpreet Singh to bowl spin. "It gives us plenty of options, depending on who's batting, the type of pitch and state of the game. "I think it will be an exciting game." Liphook established themselves as a fixture at the final in the mid-1990s, achieving a hat-trick of visits as they hammered Guildford before losing to them on their last visit in 1996. Their captain Tim Wheatley commented: "We're very pleased to be back and I'm sure our supporters will be around the boundary in their deckchairs cheering us on."
The Hampshire side reached the final by taking spectacular revenge on Camberley for their defeat in last year's semi, dismissing them for 32 after making 156-8. Their bowling will be spearheaded by New Zealand pace bowler Maya Pasupati, who also bats at number three, backed up by seamers Matt Eaton, Nick Gay, Wheatley and Chris Wright. "Maya has done very well for us through the competition, both with bat and ball," added Wheatley, who played in the 1996 match and expects to field much the same side as triumphed last week. "Playing Farnham is always a good battle and it should be a decent game. Normandy is a big ground and can be a bit off-putting if you are used to playing on a small one. "We know the Farnham lads pretty well, particularly the likes of Alan and Peter Dickinson.
I think they probably hold the key to the game." The match starts at 5.30pm and as usual Normandy will provide plenty of car parking, with the bar open before the start and food available. Stedman, meanwhile, will be aiming to add Liphook to a list of final victims which include Camberley, Brook, Normandy, Blackheath, Guildford and Avorians. "I've only been on the losing side twice and didn't enjoy it too much," he said. "Some people don't like playing in the Flora Doris. In that case, don't play, but I do because I still love it."
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