2nd XI v Pinkneys Green 1st XI

McLoughlin and Anderson Steer Sonning 2nds to Commanding Nine-Wicket Victory

Sonning 2nd XI produced a dominant all-round display at King George's Field on Saturday, bowling out Pinkneys Green for 146 before chasing down the target with nine wickets in hand and nearly 18 overs to spare in this Division 5B encounter.

Pinkneys Green captain Jack Stemp won the toss and opted to bat, but his side were immediately put under pressure by a disciplined Sonning attack. Shenul Widanapathirana was the standout performer with the new ball, returning excellent figures of 3-17 from his nine overs, including two maidens. He accounted for opener Sridhar Balachandar, who laboured to just four runs from 37 deliveries, before later removing the dangerous Jagjit Dhillon for 25 and Louis Taphouse for 10 to ensure the lower order could not mount a significant recovery.

Jameel Ahamed provided an effective foil at the other end, claiming 3-36 from his nine overs. His key scalp was Harry Reddy, who top-scored for Pinkneys Green with a fluent 30 from 40 balls including five fours. Ahamed also bowled Vinay Reddy for seven and had Basharat Mehmood caught for 19, breaking the most productive partnership of the innings — a 34-run fourth-wicket stand between Harry Reddy and Mehmood that had threatened to give the visitors a platform.

Adil Malik chipped in with two wickets, taking a return catch to dismiss Stemp for six and then removing Praveen Sabba for seven, while captain Duncan Parr claimed the final wicket when wicketkeeper Alex McLoughlin pouched Ben Snapes behind for nine. Dhillon provided some resistance from number eight with 25 from 39 balls, including a six, but Pinkneys Green were bowled out for 146 in 44 overs — a total that always looked below par.

The Sonning reply was emphatic. McLoughlin, promoted to open the batting, set about the Pinkneys Green bowlers from the outset, putting on 40 for the first wicket with skipper Parr, who contributed six before falling caught by Stemp off Louis Taphouse. That was the only success the visitors would enjoy all afternoon.

McLoughlin continued to bat with authority, punishing anything short or wide on his way to an unbeaten 69 from 84 balls, an innings laced with 13 fours. Dan Anderson matched his partner's intent from the moment he arrived at the crease, compiling a fluent unbeaten 57 from 65 deliveries with eight boundaries. The pair's unbroken second-wicket stand of 110 took the game away from Pinkneys Green entirely, with none of the six bowlers used by Stemp able to stem the flow of runs.

Sonning reached their target of 147 in just 27.1 overs, completing a comprehensive victory that earned them a full 22 league points. It was a thoroughly professional performance from Parr's side, with the bowling attack sharing the wickets around before the top order made light work of the chase.