1st XI vs Slough

Slough Bowlers Stifle Sonning as Arif Stars with Bat and Ball

Sonning 1st XI suffered a comprehensive defeat at home against Slough 2nd XI in the Division 2B fixture, as they were bowled out for just 108 in reply to Slough's 192. Hamza Arif was the standout performer for the visitors, scoring a match-high 62 with the bat before claiming 3-29 with the ball.

After winning the toss and opting to bat, Slough got off to a flying start as P Verendra struck eight boundaries in his quickfire 39 from just 21 deliveries. However, Sonning's Ramish Ahmed led a fightback, claiming 4-42 to reduce the visitors to 92-7 before the halfway stage of their innings.

The recovery came through Arif, who anchored the lower order with an aggressive 62 from 46 balls, including 10 fours and a six. His 89-run partnership for the eighth wicket with Naresh Namani (23) proved decisive in lifting Slough to a competitive total. Zahid Mohammed (2-15) and Dion Laban-Jeffries (2-38) provided good support to Ahmed, helping to eventually dismiss Slough for 192 in the 32nd over.

Sonning's response began cautiously, but they soon found themselves in trouble as Kazim Naqvi removed both Peter Higginbottom (3) and captain Peter Dean (26) to leave them at 43-2. Dean's innings, featuring four boundaries, was the only notable top-order contribution as Naveed Akhtar trapped Louis Dean (13) leg before to further dent Sonning's chase.

Muhammad Qaisar offered brief resistance with 16 from 40 deliveries, but Slough's bowlers maintained consistent pressure throughout. Arif continued his exceptional all-round performance by removing Qaisar, Mannu Rawat (2), and Zahid Mohammed (8) to dismantle Sonning's middle order.

As the innings progressed, Sahaan Sahaan claimed 3-16 from 4.2 overs, including the final wicket of Ramish Ahmed who was stumped by Ritesh Mohanty for just 2. Michael Longridge remained unbeaten on 7 as Sonning were dismissed for 108 in the 38th over, falling 84 runs short.

The disciplined bowling performance from Slough was highlighted by economical spells from Naveed Akhtar (1-10 from 7 overs) and Mandip Sohi (1-2 from 2 overs), while Arif's three wickets and Sahaan's late burst ensured there would be no lower-order revival for the home side.