U11 Scorchers v Tiddington Under 11

Scorchers Stumble in Chase Defence as Tiddington Overhaul 109 with Overs to Spare

Sonning U11 Scorchers won the toss and elected to bat at Tiddington in their U11 League Pool 3 fixture on 28 June, but after posting 109 for 8 from their 20 overs, they were unable to prevent the hosts from reaching the target in just 17.4 overs, losing by seven wickets.

The Scorchers' innings began disastrously. Zain Baloch fell for a duck off the first ball he faced, bowled by Max Hepple, before Alexander Hatchett-Walker and Lewis Towner were both removed by Sam Elias for 1 and 0 respectively. At 4 for 3, Sonning were in deep trouble, with Bailey Morris having already accounted for the dangerous Seve Horton for 10 and wreaking havoc at the top of the order.

It was Savraj Sall who injected life into the innings with a blistering 18 off just 10 balls, cracking four fours in a counter-attacking display. Together with Horton, he put on 29 for the fourth wicket — comfortably the most productive partnership of the top order — before falling caught off Morris. That dismissal triggered another collapse, with Jasper Hawkins bowled for a duck and Jovan Purwaha managing only 2 from 19 balls as Morris finished with outstanding figures of 3 for 4 from his two overs.

The lower order staged a commendable recovery. Kirrthhana Yennaboina batted with composure for 17 off 27 balls before retiring not out, while Jaiden Patel struck a brisk 12 including two fours. Captain Svarup Huggi contributed a patient unbeaten 7 from 24 deliveries, and Yannis Marti added a useful 6 not out from five balls. Combined with 36 extras — 29 of which were wides — the Scorchers managed to push past the 100 mark.

Tiddington's reply was built on solid contributions throughout their batting order. Wilf Langley set the tone with an aggressive 18 from 20 balls, striking three fours before being bowled by Zain Baloch with the score on 28. George Hancock (15) and Wilfred Chana (17) both batted sensibly, each retiring not out to give their teammates a chance, while William Barber added 14 before being caught off Jasper Hawkins with the total on 89.

The Scorchers' bowling lacked the discipline needed to defend their total. Seve Horton's two overs proved particularly expensive, conceding 21 runs including 12 wides and four no-balls. Extras contributed 32 runs to Tiddington's total, with 18 wides and 10 no-balls giving the hosts easy runs. Alexander Hatchett-Walker was the most economical of the Sonning bowlers, conceding just 6 from his two overs, while captain Huggi was tidy with 11 from three overs, but neither managed a breakthrough.

Lawrence Hutton's unbeaten 10 and Sam Elias's cameo of 4 saw Tiddington home with 14 balls of their revised allocation to spare. The defeat leaves the Scorchers with lessons to learn, particularly around their top-order fragility — losing three wickets with only four runs on the board put them on the back foot from the outset — and the need to reduce extras when defending modest totals.