Farnham swept Dorking aside in the Surrey Championship for the second time this season with a comfortable seven-wicket win at the Park on Saturday.
Winning the toss, skipper James Berry asked Dorking to bat on another high-quality wicket.
Openers Rob Goldsworthy and Russell Golding were into their work early on – working well as a pair to restrict the runs. This quickly brought the first Dorking wicket of Charlie Edwards for just three, bowled by Goldsworthy.
Dorking’s number three Charlie Kenway and overseas player Maduranga Zoysa fought hard for the visitors, punishing the bad ball and running with good energy between the wickets.
Goldsworthy pulled up injured at the start of his seventh over, forcing captain Berry to make a double change – bringing himself and Brady Poole into the attack.
This turned out to be a good decision as Poole quickly found the outside edge of Zoysa, with wicketkeeper Jamie Strachan making no mistake behind the stumps to leave Dorking on 65 for two.
Poole and Berry bowled in tandem for the next 20 overs and continued to frustrate the Dorking batters, picking up six wickets between them for just 54 runs to leave the away team on 92 for seven.
It was left to seamer Adam Elstow and the left-arm orthodox spin of Jake Henderson to finish off the tail – the pair bowled with excellent discipline with Henderson picking up three for 13 from 22 balls.
Dorking finished their innings all out for 131.
Hicks was bowled by Dorking opening bowler Corbett for a run-a-ball 15.
Thorpe was joined by Tom Flack. The pair batted with good energy, rotating the strike well and punishing the bad ball before Flack was caught at slip off the bowling of Edwards for ten to leaving Farnham on 50 for two.
Captain Berry came to the crease just as the heavens opened, and the game was halted for an hour for rain. Farnham’s revised total was 116 from 42 overs.
After the rain break Berry and Thorpe batted with superb maturity to continue to give Farnham the momentum, taking the total quickly to 109 when Berry was caught seven short of the winning total.
Tom Grimes came to the crease and calmly scored the final few runs needed along with Thorpe – who went past 500 runs for the season.
Farnham reached their target in the 32nd over, with Thorpe finishing 56 not out and Grimes two not out.
The win takes Farnham to seventh in Division Two of the Surrey Championship. Berry’s men travel to Worcester Park tomorrow (Saturday) for their final game of the season.