Stingers Soft Ball v Emmbrook & Bearwood Womens Softball

Stingers Chase Down 77 with Comfort as Batting Line-Up Fires at Emmbrook

Sonning Stingers Soft Ball produced an impressive all-round batting display to defeat Emmbrook & Bearwood in the Berkshire Women's Softball Performance – East league at Emmbrook and Bearwood CC on 21st August 2022. Captain Melissa Pengraeve won the toss and chose to field first, a decision that proved astute as the Stingers restricted the hosts before chasing down the target with runs to spare, posting 99 for 2 in reply to Emmbrook's 76 for 2.

Emmbrook & Bearwood's innings was built around two key contributions. Helen Tomlin was the standout batter for the home side, striking 17 off just 11 balls with three boundaries to provide early impetus from the number two position. Lucy Prismall complemented that effort later in the innings with a brisk 14 off 9 deliveries, also finding the rope three times. Beyond those two, however, the Emmbrook batting struggled to build momentum, with no other batter passing single figures.

The Stingers' bowling attack kept things tight despite conceding 32 extras, of which 22 came from wides. Grace Phillips was the most economical bowler on show, delivering her two overs for just 8 runs without conceding a single wide. Katie Barrows was the only wicket-taker for Sonning, returning figures of 1 for 14 from her two overs to provide a crucial breakthrough in the middle of the innings.

In reply, Pengraeve led from the front with a blistering knock of 19 off just 8 balls, crashing two fours and clearing the boundary for a six to set the tone from the very first over. The captain's aggressive intent put the Stingers firmly on the front foot and ensured the required run rate was never a concern.

Contributions came from across the order. Elinor Longridge added 12 off 10 balls with two fours from the number two spot, while Sophie Eckley produced a polished 14 off 11 deliveries in the middle order, striking two boundaries of her own. The late surge, however, belonged to Charlene Tait, who batted at number eight and finished unbeaten on 15 off 11 balls, finding the boundary three times to push the total well beyond the target.

Rachel McCabe chipped in with a quick-fire 8 off just 4 balls, and Chloe Bailey added a useful 8 off 7 to ensure the scoring rate never dipped. The Stingers lost only two wickets across their 12 overs, with Helen Tomlin and Katherine Brickley claiming one apiece for the hosts, but the Emmbrook attack struggled to contain the visitors, with Sonali Patil's two overs proving particularly expensive at 24 runs.

The comprehensive 23-run victory saw the Stingers collect the full three league points, underlining the depth of their batting in a match where every member of the order made a positive contribution with the bat.