Stingers Soft Ball v Crowthorne & Crown Wood Womens Softball

Stingers Claim Dominant Victory as Pengraeve and Green Star with Bat and Ball

Sonning CC Stingers Soft Ball produced a comprehensive all-round display to defeat Crowthorne & Crown Wood in the Berkshire Women's Softball Indoor Division 1, chasing down 68 with ease to post an imposing 104 without loss from their 12 overs.

Captain Melissa Pengraeve won the toss and elected to field first, a decision that proved inspired as Sonning's bowlers kept the visitors firmly in check. Rita Green delivered the standout bowling performance of the match, returning remarkable figures of 3 wickets for just 4 runs from her two overs, including a maiden — a spell that ripped through the heart of the Crowthorne batting order. Katie Barrows chipped in with 1 for 12, while skipper Pengraeve added a further wicket, finishing with 1 for 13 from her two overs.

Crowthorne & Crown Wood's batters struggled to build momentum against the disciplined Stingers attack. Jessica Lawrence top-scored for the visitors with 10 from 8 balls, including a boundary, while Jo Lee contributed 9 from 20 deliveries. Gillian Finucane and Stephanie Jones-Wright each managed 8, but with 27 extras swelling the total, the away side could muster only 68 for 5 — a target that never looked likely to test Sonning's batting line-up.

The chase was a thoroughly one-sided affair. Not a single Stingers batter was dismissed as the home side cruised past the target. Pengraeve led from the front with a superb 24 from 16 balls, clearing the boundary twice for sixes and demonstrating the attacking intent that set the tone for the innings.

Green, having already dismantled the Crowthorne batting, proved equally destructive with the bat, smashing 16 from just 8 deliveries with two sixes in an explosive cameo. Opener Chloe Bailey matched that tally with 16 from 11 balls, getting Sonning off to a flying start, while Elinor Longridge contributed a composed 13 from 13 balls, including a six of her own.

Crowthorne's bowlers had a difficult afternoon, with Jo Lee conceding 32 runs from her two overs, including 12 wides and two no-balls. Stephanie Jones-Wright went for 25 from her allocation, and none of the six opposition bowlers managed to claim a wicket as Sonning batted through their innings untroubled.

The 36-run margin of victory told only part of the story, as the Stingers' dominance was absolute in both departments. Pengraeve's decision at the toss, combined with Green's devastating spell and the collective batting effort, ensured Sonning collected all four available league points from a thoroughly professional performance.