U13 Spartans v Littlewick Green Under 13

Spartans' Middle-Order Recovery Not Enough as Littlewick Green Chase Down 132 Without Loss of Wicket

Sonning U13 Spartans posted a competitive 131 for 7 from their 20 overs at Knowl Hill but were left to rue a wayward bowling display as Littlewick Green chased down the target in just 16 overs without losing a single wicket, claiming victory in this BYCL Under 13 Challenge (Tier 1) North East fixture on 21 July.

Littlewick Green captain Zach Dries won the toss and inserted the Spartans, and the decision appeared inspired early on as the home side slumped to 23 for 3. Jude Alden fell for a duck off the first ball he faced, caught by Ahad Khan off Charlie Cuthbertson, and Shay Dattani managed just a single before being caught by Satyan Padhi off Khan. Heet Panchal struck two boundaries in his 9 from 13 balls but was bowled by Cuthbertson, who finished with excellent figures of 2 for 9 from his two overs.

Captain Anay Patel steadied the ship with a fluent 24 from 26 deliveries, hitting four boundaries during a composed innings. He and Aarib Ansari put on 31 for the fourth wicket to give the Spartans a platform, before Patel was bowled by Lucas Alcroft with the score on 54.

Ansari and Utkarsh Sinha then transformed the innings with a superb fifth-wicket stand of 64 runs — comfortably the partnership of the match. Ansari compiled a patient 30 from 38 balls, finding the boundary three times before retiring not out, while Sinha was equally impressive with 27 from 27 deliveries, including three fours. Together they took the score from 54 to well beyond the 100 mark, giving the Spartans real hope of setting a challenging total.

The late overs saw a flurry of wickets as Tavish Malik fell for 4, caught by Alcroft off Jeevan Sanghera, and Ethan Cawsey was bowled by Oliver Waymouth for 1. Sinha was eventually run out off the final ball of the innings with the score on 131. Extras contributed significantly to the total, with 35 runs coming from wides, no-balls and byes — a sign of both sides' struggles with discipline.

The Spartans' bowling attack, however, could find no answer to Littlewick Green's top order. Opener Sanghera set the tone with an explosive 34 from just 22 balls, cracking three fours and two sixes before retiring not out. Khan was equally destructive, smashing 31 from 19 deliveries with five fours and a six before also retiring. S Hirst anchored the chase with an unbeaten 19 from 48 balls, while Alcroft struck a brisk 10 not out to see the visitors home.

Sonning's bowlers were unable to create a single chance throughout the reply. Extras once again proved costly, with 38 runs gifted to Littlewick Green — including 23 wides and 11 byes. Tavish Malik returned the most economical figures of 2-0-6-0, while Aarib Ansari bowled a tidy spell of 2-0-8-0, but elsewhere the Spartans leaked runs at an alarming rate. Jude Alden's solitary over went for 20, and Utkarsh Sinha conceded 29 from his three overs. The visitors reached their target with four overs to spare, a dominant run chase that underlined the gulf between the two sides on the evening.