Senior Roundup: A Tough Weekend for Sonning as Only the 3rd XI Taste Victory

Senior Roundup: A Tough Weekend for Sonning as Only the 3rd XI Taste Victory

It was a chastening weekend for Sonning Cricket Club, with the 3rd XI the sole senior side to record a win across four Saturday league fixtures and a Sunday friendly. The 1st XI fell in a low-scoring affair at home, the 2nd and 4th XIs were both overwhelmed by big opposition totals, and the Sunday 1s went down in an intra-club contest. Damario Goodman's stunning seven-wicket haul and Shamitha Widanapathirana's classy 65 were the individual highlights on an otherwise forgettable weekend.

1st XI — Sonning 80 all out, lost to Beaconsfield 93 all out

In a Division 1B encounter at King George's Field that will frustrate in equal measure, Sonning's bowlers did everything asked of them before the batting order collapsed in a heap. After Beaconsfield won the toss and chose to bat, Damario Goodman produced a career-defining spell of 9.3-1-20-7, ripping through the visitors' line-up with a magnificent seven-wicket haul. Captain Peter Higginbottom supported superbly from the other end, claiming 3-25 from his nine overs, while Mohammed Zahid was miserly with 5-3-6-0. Beaconsfield's openers Montgomery Evans (25) and Jago Catherwood (22) put on 38 for the first wicket, but once that stand was broken the innings disintegrated, the visitors bowled out for just 93.

Chasing what should have been a straightforward target, Sonning's reply was nothing short of disastrous. Muhammad Ayub fell lbw for a duck in the second over, and when Dhruv Peshkar (2) and Amaad Ali (2) also departed cheaply, the hosts were in deep trouble. Mohammed Zahid top-scored with 24 from 30 balls, adding 30 for the fourth wicket with Sid Anilkumar (7), but that partnership represented the only meaningful resistance. Toby Slater was the chief destroyer for Beaconsfield, returning 5-30 from 7.3 overs, while Scott Jackson chipped in with 2-10. Danyal Ghazi battled for his 9 from 40 deliveries, but Sonning were bowled out for 80 in just 23.3 overs, losing a match they had no business losing after bowling the opposition out so cheaply. It was a bitter pill to swallow for Goodman in particular, whose extraordinary bowling effort deserved far better.

2nd XI — Sonning 117 all out, lost to Penn & Tylers Green 314 all out

The 2nd XI travelled to French Meadows for a Division 4B fixture and were on the wrong end of a heavy defeat after Penn & Tylers Green piled up a formidable 314 all out in 44.1 overs. Lochie Christopherson was the star turn for the hosts, blazing 82 from just 45 balls with nine fours and six sixes in a devastating display of power hitting. He shared a commanding second-wicket partnership of 126 with opener Raunak Biswas (29). Mustafa Khalid (56 off 39 balls) and Rohith Shylendra (43 off 30) kept the scoreboard rattling along, while captain Henry Barber contributed a rapid 26 from 15 deliveries.

Sonning's bowlers toiled hard on a difficult surface. Shenul Widanapathirana was the pick with 3-50 from 6.1 overs, while Jack Durrant (2-65), Max Murphy (2-56) and Duncan Parr (2-56) each claimed a brace. The reply, however, never got going against a target that was always going to be well beyond reach. Captain Dan Anderson showed admirable resolve with a top score of 39 from 65 balls, but wickets fell regularly around him. Rahul Sood departed for a duck in the second over, and despite Henry Cook's entertaining cameo of 26 from 15 balls — including three sixes — Sonning were dismissed for 117 in 29.1 overs. Raunak Biswas proved just as effective with ball in hand, finishing with outstanding figures of 9-4-30-4.

3rd XI — Sonning 209-8, beat Eversley 206 all out

The 3rd XI provided the weekend's only victory with a hard-fought triumph over Eversley at Knowl Hill in Division 7A. Asked to bowl first after the visitors won the toss, captain Arun Kumar Pera's side had to contend with a brisk opening partnership of 60 between Neil Devanand (16) and Vijay Nawale (37). The middle order was pegged back effectively, but Sabya Sen threatened to take the game away from Sonning with a blistering 48 from just 22 balls, including three fours and five sixes, sharing a dangerous seventh-wicket stand of 68 with Elay Sen (22). Indeveer Sahota was the standout bowler with excellent figures of 9-1-29-3, while Reyansh Setia (2-31) and Tom Wolfenden (2-37) provided vital support. Aashmit Ghosh and Akash Udayan each took a wicket apiece as Eversley were bowled out for 206 in 42.1 overs.

The chase began poorly as Harrison Lott fell lbw for a duck in the second over and Aseem Shafi was bowled for 2, leaving Sonning wobbling at 5-2. What followed was the innings-defining partnership of the weekend. Shamitha Widanapathirana and Paul Towner came together and put on a magnificent 85 for the third wicket. Towner contributed a composed 37 from 49 balls before falling caught, but Widanapathirana batted beautifully for his 65 from 84 deliveries, striking ten fours in a patient and authoritative knock. He then added 54 for the fourth wicket with skipper Arun Kumar Pera (28) to put Sonning firmly in control.

When Widanapathirana was eventually bowled, the chase still required careful management. Akash Udayan (24) and Ravi Kumar (11) shared a useful 34-run stand for the sixth wicket before Tom Wolfenden arrived to finish things off in style, smashing an unbeaten 16 from just nine balls — including two fours and a six — to see Sonning home at 209-8 in 40.1 overs. It was a fine all-round team performance that the 3rd XI can be proud of.

4th XI — Sonning 192-9, lost to Royal Ascot 310-7

Playing at home at Yateley Manor School in Division 9C, the 4th XI won the toss and elected to field but were put to the sword by Royal Ascot captain Ishaan Banerjee, who compiled a magnificent 126 from 105 balls with 16 fours and six sixes. Banerjee was involved in three significant partnerships — 88 for the first wicket with Raf Bocchio (28), 72 for the third wicket with Deep Mohain (17), and 66 for the fourth with Martin Kay (32). Even after his departure, the late assault continued as Aizaz Hussain blasted an unbeaten 29 from just 11 balls with three sixes. Sonning used eight bowlers in search of breakthroughs, with captain Arun Raghavendra the most successful, taking 2-40 from his five overs, while Kyle Dellar-Law, Shahbaz Ali, Syed Adnan, Moksha Suriarachchi and Alastair Parkes each claimed one wicket apiece. Royal Ascot finished on an imposing 310-7 from their 40 overs.

In reply, Sonning showed commendable spirit in a lost cause. After Kanishka Suriarachchi fell for 10, Dhiren Panchal and Kyle Dellar-Law combined for a crucial 77-run second-wicket partnership. Dellar-Law was the more aggressive of the pair, striking 48 from 37 balls with eight fours and a six, while Panchal contributed a solid 34 from 47 deliveries. The middle order struggled to build on the platform, but lower-order contributions kept the scoreboard moving. Alastair Parkes played an excellent hand of 36 from 26 balls, including five fours and two sixes, sharing a 37-run seventh-wicket stand with Moksha Suriarachchi (11). Shahbaz Ali added a useful 16, but the target was simply too steep and Sonning finished on 192-9 from 32.4 overs, going down by 118 runs.

Sunday 1s — Sonning 144 all out, lost to Sonning Sunday As 146-7

In a Sunday friendly at King George's Field that pitted two Sonning sides against each other, the Sunday 1s batted first after the Sunday As won the toss and chose to field. After a bright start, the Sunday 1s' innings was built around contributions from Aashmit Ghosh (29 off 23 balls), Yusuf Malik (30 off 35, retired not out) and a fine unbeaten 30 from Timothy Jenner lower down the order. The pair of Ghosh and Malik put on 52 for the third wicket to provide the backbone, but regular wickets elsewhere — including quick dismissals for Christopher Dowse (0) and Idris Malik (2) — meant the Sunday 1s were bowled out for 144 in 24.5 overs.

In the chase, the Sunday As made light work of the target despite losing wickets at regular intervals. Richard Skeil set the tone with an aggressive 26 from 14 balls at the top, before Moksha Suriarachchi (32 off 34, retired not out) and Mohit Karangad (31 off 25, retired not out) guided the innings with composed knocks. Edward Duvall took 2-4 from a single over and Ismail Raza claimed 2-10 from 1.5 overs as the Sunday 1s fought hard in the field, but the Sunday As reached the target at 146-7 in 21.5 overs to claim victory.

A one-win weekend is not where Sonning want to be, but there were encouraging individual displays to take forward — Goodman's seven-for, Widanapathirana's match-winning 65, and Dellar-Law's enterprising 48 among them. The club will look to regroup and deliver a stronger collective showing when they return to action next Saturday.