3rd XI v Wokingham 5th XI

Muniyappa's Five-For Undoes Sonning as Wokingham Cruise Home at Knowl Hill

Sonning 3rd XI's season came to a deflating close at Knowl Hill, where a promising position of 90 for 2 disintegrated into 111 all out inside 38 overs, before Wokingham CC 5th XI knocked off the runs in a shade over 17 overs to claim a comprehensive five-wicket win.

Ranjeet Sidhu's decision to field first looked shrewd as Wokingham's opening bowlers throttled the scoring. Mahesh Bhandary was outstanding, wheeling through nine overs for just 13 runs with four maidens, while Ethan Tatum's six-over spell cost only 16. Matthew Dawes and Elliot Dawes dug in for a watchful stand of 28 for the first wicket, Matthew Dawes consuming 37 balls for his 10 before Bhandary eventually breached his defences.

Sam Taylor's brief stay ended when Lewis Ross bowled the Sonning skipper for 7, leaving the home side 35 for 2 and in need of substance. It arrived through Elliot Dawes and Harrison Lott, who added 55 for the third wicket in the innings' most productive period. Dawes was the anchor, batting for 91 deliveries and striking four boundaries in a disciplined 33 before Brad Lucas took the catch off Fawad Hassan's bowling.

At 90 for 3 with Lott flowing freely, Sonning appeared set for a defendable total. What followed was a collapse of alarming speed. Ollie Terry was run out by Shiv Muniyappa without troubling the scorers, and when Muniyappa was handed the ball himself, the innings simply folded. Edward McLoughlin fell to Arvind Bhat for 1, and Muniyappa then removed Christopher Dowse, Henry Johnson, Isaac Jenner and finally Pranay Abhijeet, all for ducks.

Lott alone offered resistance, his 45 from 71 balls containing five fours and representing more than a third of the total, but he ran out of partners and was caught behind by Arin Kulkarni off Muniyappa to become the fifth of the off-spinner's victims. Muniyappa's figures of 3-0-8-5 were remarkable — the last eight Sonning wickets tumbled for 21 runs, and the innings closed on 111 with Reyansh Setia stranded on 5.

Defending such a modest target demanded early breakthroughs, and Isaac Jenner duly provided one, having Brad Lucas caught by Henry Johnson for 13 with the score on 15. Wokingham, however, batted with intent throughout. Suneer Bhat struck four boundaries in a brisk 18 and shared 35 with Kulkarni before Jenner claimed him too, Pranay Abhijeet taking the catch.

Abhijeet was the pick of the Sonning attack, his 3.4 overs yielding 15 runs, a maiden and three wickets. He had Kulkarni caught by Johnson for 10 and later trapped Arvind Bhat lbw for a duck, but the decisive blow had already been struck by Ranjeet Sidhu. The Wokingham captain tore into the bowling with seven fours and a six in a 19-ball 37, and though Abhijeet eventually had him caught by Elliot Dawes, the target was all but secured. Shiv Muniyappa, unbeaten on 10, and Ethan Tatum, who launched a six in his 8 not out, saw the visitors past the line at 115 for 5 in 17.4 overs.

Sonning's cause was not helped by 19 extras, including eight wides, in a compact chase, though Edward McLoughlin's two overs for eight runs offered a measure of control. Wokingham took the full 22 points; Sonning departed with five bonus points, four of them earned with the ball.