U11 Scorchers v Tiddington Under 11

Baloch's Six-Wicket Haul Not Enough as Scorchers Fall Short at Tiddington

Sonning U11 Scorchers suffered defeat at Tiddington Cricket Club on 3rd May in their U11 League Pool 3 fixture, bowled out for 94 in pursuit of the home side's 137-9 from their 20 overs. Despite a remarkable individual bowling performance from Zain Baloch, the Scorchers' batting line-up was unable to convert a promising period of middle-order resistance into a successful chase.

Captain Jonathan Turner won the toss and elected to field, a decision that appeared inspired early on as Baloch tore through the Tiddington top order. The young seamer dismissed Lawrence Hutton (2), Henry Smith (1), Jackson Ferguson-Davie (0), Theo Simpson (0) and Felix Stacey (0) in a devastating spell, finishing with extraordinary figures of 6-7 from his two overs. Harrison Kidd chipped in with the wicket of Bailey Morris for a duck, while a sharp run out accounted for Wilf Evans for 1, leaving Tiddington reeling at 9-5.

From that precarious position, Tiddington captain Wilf Chana produced the innings of the match. The number four batsman held firm throughout, compiling an unbeaten 38 that included a boundary and proved the backbone of his side's recovery. Chana found an excellent partner in Ashkan Driver, and together they put on 65 for the sixth wicket to transform the complexion of the innings entirely. Driver contributed a brisk 20 with two fours before Baloch finally had him bowled.

The lower order continued to frustrate the Scorchers' bowlers. George Hancock struck an unbeaten 18 including a four from the number eleven position, while Ferdie Gresty added 9 with two boundaries before being caught by Turner off his own bowling. Alexander Green was the most economical of the Sonning bowlers, conceding just 4 runs from his two overs, though 48 extras — including 30 wides and 10 no-balls — significantly inflated the Tiddington total.

The Scorchers' reply began disastrously. Turner was caught by Jackson Ferguson-Davie off Bailey Morris for 2, and Alexander Hatchett-Walker was run out for the same score, leaving Sonning 5-2. Lewis Towner then fell without scoring, caught and bowled by Morris, before Alexander Green was caught by Wilf Chana off George Hancock for 4 to leave the visitors in deep trouble at 9-4.

Baloch, continuing his fine individual match, attempted to rescue the innings with the bat. He top-scored for Sonning with 11, striking two fours in a partnership worth 37 for the fifth wicket that briefly gave the Scorchers hope. However, Henry Smith bowled him to end the resistance, and wickets continued to tumble as Tiddington's varied bowling attack shared the spoils. Bailey Morris finished with 2-9 from his two overs, while six different bowlers claimed at least one wicket.

Harry Waite (5), Jovan Purwaha (3), Muhammad Abdurrahman Baig (3 not out) and Harrison Kidd (3) all made small contributions, but none could build the substantial partnership required. A ninth-wicket stand of 21 between Baig and Kidd provided late respectability before Kidd was run out by Henry Smith. Svarup Huggi was then bowled by Lawrence Hutton — the wicketkeeper turning his arm over — to end the innings at 94 all out in 16.2 overs, giving Tiddington victory by 43 runs. Despite 58 extras in the Sonning innings, including 51 wides, the Scorchers simply lost too many wickets to mount a serious challenge.