3rd XI v Hampstead Norreys 1st XI

Sonning 3rd XI Bowled Out for 98 as Hampstead Norreys Chase Down Target with Ease

Sonning 3rd XI travelled to The Dean Meadow for their Division 7A fixture against Hampstead Norreys and were left to rue a below-par batting display, bowled out for just 98 before the hosts knocked off the runs in 19 overs with five wickets in hand.

Having won the toss and elected to field, Hampstead Norreys' decision was immediately vindicated. Elliot Dawes departed without scoring in the early overs, bowled by Sree Gorantla, leaving Sonning 6 for 1. Aveer Sidhu and Harrison Lott steadied the ship with a partnership of 28, Sidhu striking three fours in his 16 before he was caught by wicketkeeper S V B off the bowling of Vishwanath Timmanagoudar.

Captain Matthew Dawes arrived at the crease and looked to rebuild alongside Lott, the pair adding 18 for the third wicket. Dawes contributed 12 from 24 balls before falling caught off Naykesh Kolpe, and from that point the middle order crumbled. Kolpe was devastating, claiming four wickets for just 11 runs from his nine overs, five of which were maidens. Daniel Parks was bowled first ball, Rinchhen Lama managed only 3 before being caught behind, and Alastair Parkes was trapped lbw for a duck — all three falling to Kolpe in a remarkable spell that saw Sonning slide from 52 for 3 to 58 for 6.

Lott showed admirable resilience at one end, occupying the crease for 83 deliveries in an innings of genuine application. He and Christopher Dowse put on 28 for the seventh wicket, the most productive stand of the innings, before Lott was adjudged lbw to Timmanagoudar for 19. Dowse matched Sidhu's tally of 16, hitting three boundaries in his 34-ball knock, but once he was bowled by Timmanagoudar the tail folded quickly. Sonning were dismissed for 98 in 35.3 overs, with 27 extras — including 18 byes — making up a significant proportion of their total. Timmanagoudar finished with three for 21 from his nine overs, complementing Kolpe's outstanding figures superbly.

The modest target of 99 was never likely to trouble Hampstead Norreys, and although Sonning's bowlers made early inroads, the home side were always in control. Arthur Parkes struck twice in his opening spell, having Guruprasad Acharya caught — off his own bowling — for 6 and then bowling Sainath Golla for a duck to reduce the hosts to 18 for 2.

Rohit Banka, however, proved too strong for the Sonning attack. He put on 55 for the third wicket with Philbert Mathew, who blasted 19 from just 15 deliveries including two sixes before being bowled by Dowse. Banka continued to accumulate, driving and cutting with authority on his way to 44 from 68 balls, an innings decorated with nine fours. He eventually fell caught by Rinchhen Lama off Reyansh Setia, who also claimed Kolpe in the same over to finish with remarkable figures of two for 4 from a single over. Ajmal Aj (16 not out) and Vishwanath Timmanagoudar (4 not out) saw the hosts home without further alarm.

Despite picking up four bowling bonus points through the efforts of Parkes, Dowse, and Setia, Sonning were left pointless in the win column. Their inability to build sustained partnerships with the bat — only two stands exceeded 20 runs — proved their undoing on a day when the Hampstead Norreys bowling attack, led by the outstanding Kolpe and Timmanagoudar, was simply too disciplined.