Jasti's Half-Century and Fitton's All-Round Flourish Carry Sonning to Within Seven of Hurley
Jasti's Half-Century and Fitton's All-Round Flourish Carry Sonning to Within Seven of Hurley
A single senior fixture survived the closing weekend of the season, and it produced a thriller: Neil Jasti's 56 and Jacob Fitton's 49, allied to a stand of 117 between them, hauled the Sunday 1st XI to within seven runs of Hurley's 207 before the visitors held on. Fitton's two wickets and Aahaan Sharma's economical double strike had kept Sonning in the contest throughout, while Aashmit Ghosh's spell of 4-0-7-0, including two maidens, was as tidy as anything seen all summer.
Sunday 1s
Hurley won the toss and elected to bat, and after Jono Patrick was bowled without scoring, Ajmal Ali took command. His 66 from 77 balls contained 12 fours and formed the backbone of the innings, and his second-wicket stand of 99 with Mubashir Nabi (32 from 34) put Hurley firmly in charge. Sonning, though, hauled themselves back into the game as Edward Duvall, Sharma and Fitton shared the wickets, three quick dismissals removing Nabi, Bharat Rathod and Faizaan Javed without a run between the trio from 21 deliveries.
That should have capped the total, but Shahbaz Ali had other ideas, plundering an unbeaten 37 from just 20 balls with seven boundaries, supported by Elliot Gray's brisk 16 not out from 12, to lift Hurley to 207 for 6 from their 28 overs. Ghosh was outstanding with the new ball, conceding only seven runs in four overs, while Sharma (4-0-13-2) and Fitton (4-0-17-2) both finished with two wickets and kept the scoring in check through the middle.
Chasing at better than seven an over, Sonning lost Marcus Hawkins lbw for 0 inside the first few deliveries, but Richard Skeil's 22 from 26 set the tone before Jasti and Fitton produced the innings of the day. Their third-wicket partnership of 117 came at a ferocious rate, Jasti striking nine fours in his 53-ball 56 and Fitton matching him with nine boundaries in a 38-ball 49, one short of a deserved half-century. When both fell bowled, the platform was there.
The finish, however, belonged to Hurley. James Carlton Perez took two wickets and Mo Basharat, Jitender Bhular and Javed one apiece, and with William Travers unable to find the boundary regularly at the death (10 not out from 22) despite Sharma's lively 18 from 13, Sonning closed on 200 for 6, seven runs shy. A defeat, but a chase that never stopped believing.
Attention now turns to the winter, with the club able to reflect on a Sunday side that took a strong Hurley outfit to the final over.
