Akula's Sublime 75 and Goodman's Four-Wicket Masterclass Light Up a Mixed Weekend for Sonning

Akula's Sublime 75 and Goodman's Four-Wicket Masterclass Light Up a Mixed Weekend for Sonning

It was a weekend of contrasts for Sonning Cricket Club, with Saturday delivering one win and two defeats alongside a hard-fought draw, before the Sunday side rounded things off in style with a convincing victory at Purley on Thames. Kishan Akula's fluent 75 on Sunday and Damario Goodman's outstanding 4-30 in the 1st XI's draw at Cove were the standout individual displays, while the 3rd XI produced a dominant all-round performance to beat Welford Park by 117 runs at Knowl Hill.

1st XI — Sonning 208-6 (52 overs) drew with Cove 177-8 (48 overs) | Division 1B | Away

Sonning's top order endured a testing afternoon at Cove Cricket Club after captain Peter Higginbottom won the toss and chose to bat. Higginbottom himself fell for just 2, Mohammed Zahid grafted 4 from 44 balls before falling lbw, and Muhammad Ayub contributed 9 as Sonning slipped to a precarious position. It was Alex Mcloughlin who steadied the ship with a patient half-century (51 off 107 balls, 10 fours), putting on 41 for the second wicket with Zahid and keeping the scoreboard moving through a difficult spell against the disciplined Tom Robinson (10-6-15-1).

The match was transformed by a brilliant fifth-wicket partnership of 108 between Amaad Ali and Sid Anilkumar. Ali was devastating, smashing 65 from just 49 deliveries with five fours and four sixes before being caught, while Anilkumar anchored the innings superbly with an unbeaten 51 off 69 balls. Their stand took Sonning from trouble to a declaration-worthy 208-6.

In reply, Cove's Jack Wilson (49 off 90) and Nick Randall (37 off 96) put on 83 for the second wicket to give the hosts a solid platform. But Damario Goodman produced a magnificent spell of 15-3-30-4, repeatedly breaking partnerships and keeping Sonning in the hunt for victory. Higginbottom chipped in with 3-67 from his 12 overs. Cove were reduced to 139-8 before Thomas Redhead (22 not out) and Logan Heazlewood (15 not out) batted out the remaining overs to secure the draw at 177-8.

2nd XI — Sonning 138 all out (35.3 overs) lost to Holmer Green 139-1 (27.1 overs) | Division 4B | Home

It was a chastening afternoon at King George's Field for the 2nd XI, who were bowled out for 138 after Holmer Green won the toss and inserted them. Max Murphy top-scored with a battling 43 from 62 balls, hitting nine fours in an innings that held the middle and lower order together. Duncan Parr contributed 28 at the top, and captain Raoul Harding struck a breezy 11 from 12 balls including a six, but nobody else passed 12 as Harry Stephens tormented the batting with figures of 11-4-38-4.

The reply was emphatic. Zebby Mahmood blazed 61 off 68 balls (11 fours, one six), sharing a commanding opening stand of 110 with Stephens, who backed up his bowling exploits with an unbeaten 55 from 85 balls. Jack Durrant claimed the only Sonning wicket, removing Mahmood, but the target was knocked off inside 28 overs with nine wickets in hand. Ghulam Abbas deserved credit for a tidy spell of 8-4-26-0, though the bowlers had precious little to defend.

3rd XI — Sonning 251-9 (45 overs) beat Welford Park 134 all out (27.5 overs) | Division 7A | Home

The 3rd XI produced the most complete performance of the weekend at Knowl Hill, racking up an imposing 251-9 after Welford Park won the toss and chose to field. Contributions came from throughout the order in an outstanding collective batting display. Aashmit Ghosh struck a superb 57 from 51 balls with nine fours and two sixes, while Akash Vasa matched him with a classy half-century (50 off 64 balls, six fours, two sixes). Christopher Dowse weighed in with a pugnacious 46 from 47 deliveries, and Ethan Towner hit a rapid 36 off 36 balls.

Kyle Dellar-Law provided a vital spark with a quickfire 23 from just 16 balls, putting on 56 for the third wicket with Ghosh, while Vasa and Towner added 53 for the sixth wicket. A late stand of 51 between Dowse and Reyansh Setia (13 not out) ensured the total passed 250.

Welford Park never looked like threatening the target. Mohit Karangad was the pick of the bowling attack with 7-0-24-3, while Ghosh followed up his half-century with three wickets of his own (6-0-22-3) to complete a fine all-round day. Ethan Towner took 2-33, and Christopher Dowse added 1-10 from 1.5 overs. Sateesh Kumar (34) and Bharat Shiva (25) offered brief resistance, but the visitors were bowled out for 134 in under 28 overs, sealing a comprehensive 117-run victory.

4th XI — Sonning 148-8 (40 overs) lost to Sandhurst 152-5 (32.1 overs) | Division 9C | Home

At Reading Blue Coat School, the 4th XI posted a competitive 148-8 from their 40 overs but were undone by a brilliant unbeaten 93 from Sandhurst's Atif Qadar. Elliot Dawes was the backbone of the Sonning innings with a patient 37 from 75 balls, sharing a useful 32-run stand with captain Arun Raghavendra (18). Indeveer Sahota chipped in with an unbeaten 16, while Shahbaz Ali's cameo of 12 off 12 balls kept the scoreboard ticking in the middle overs. Sajjad Abbasi's tight figures of 8-1-14-2 were the standout for the visitors' attack.

In the chase, Qadar was imperious, striking 17 fours in his 95-ball knock and anchoring the innings from start to finish. Sahota was outstanding with the ball, returning remarkable figures of 6-3-6-1, while Shahbaz Ali took 2-32 and Raghavendra and Neel Kumar claimed a wicket each. But Qadar's partnerships of 47 with Luke O'Neil for the third wicket and 59 with Kevin Speakman for the fifth proved decisive, and Sandhurst reached their target with five wickets and nearly eight overs to spare.

Sunday 1s — Sonning 220-9 (35 overs) beat Purley on Thames 146 all out (32 overs) | Away

The Sunday side capped off the weekend in emphatic fashion at Goosecroft, cruising to a 74-run victory after captain Richard Skeil won the toss and batted. Kishan Akula was the star of the innings, compiling a magnificent 75 from 84 balls packed with 14 fours. He shared a crucial 56-run partnership with Alex Mcloughlin (26) for the third wicket, before adding 59 with Idris Malik (15) for the sixth. Skeil himself hit a brisk 21 from 17 balls, and contributions from Robert Jones (16 off 9) and Elliot Gray (15) helped Sonning to an imposing 220-9.

Purley's reply never gained sustained momentum. Isaac Jenner was the most potent threat with 3-40 from his seven overs, while Robert Jones picked up 2-33. Sam Harlowe (45 off 47) fought bravely and Jeff Hinds ground out 31 from 54 balls, but wickets fell at regular intervals. Kishan Akula completed an outstanding all-round display with the tidy figures of 4-1-9-1, Partha Pal weighed in with 1-4 from two overs, and Karthikeya Reddy struck twice in his solitary over at the death. Purley were bowled out for 146, giving Sonning a comfortable win to end the weekend on a high.

With one win and a draw from Saturday's league fixtures supplemented by the Sunday triumph, Sonning will look to build on the positive individual performances and carry that momentum into next weekend's action across all sides.