4th XI v Henley 4th XI

McLoughlin's 73 Not Enough as Sonning 4th XI Fall Short at Henley

Sonning CC 4th XI fell to a narrow 18-run defeat against Henley 4th XI in their Division 10B clash at Nettlebed on Saturday. Despite a valiant chase led by wicketkeeper Alex McLoughlin's impressive 73, Sonning were unable to overhaul Henley's first innings total of 211-8.

Henley won the toss and elected to bat first, with opener Chris Ellison setting the foundation with a blistering 60 from just 49 deliveries, including 10 boundaries and two sixes. Ellison's aggressive innings gave Henley early momentum before he was caught by McLoughlin off the bowling of Toby Fitton.

Wicketkeeper Jethro Kock provided the backbone of Henley's innings with a patient 62 not out from 67 balls, anchoring the middle order as wickets fell around him. His partnership with Ellison proved crucial in helping Henley post a challenging total.

Sonning's bowling attack shared the wickets, with Geethika Jyothis, Toby Fitton and Dan Anderson each claiming two wickets. Captain Kabir Dave and Arun Raghavendra chipped in with one wicket apiece as Sonning managed to restrict Henley to 211-8 from their allotted 40 overs.

In reply, McLoughlin gave Sonning a flying start with a magnificent 73 from 64 balls, including 13 boundaries. His aggressive intent provided hope for the visitors, but regular wickets prevented Sonning from building the partnerships needed to chase down the target.

Toby Fitton (17), Dan Anderson (14), Gaurav Jayan (12) and Dhiren Panchal (12) all made starts but couldn't convert them into substantial scores. Christopher Dowse (18 not out) and captain Kabir Dave (19 not out) remained unbeaten at the close, but their late partnership couldn't overcome the climbing required rate.

Henley's Atharv Gupta was the pick of the home side's bowlers, returning impressive figures of 3-21 from his eight overs. His disciplined spell, which included the key wicket of Gaurav Jayan, helped Henley restrict Sonning to 193-5 from their 40 overs, securing an 18-run victory for the home side.