Sunday 1s v Warfield Sunday XI

Sonning Sunday 1s Fall Short as Warfield Chase Down 189 at The Memorial Ground

Sonning Sunday 1s travelled to The Memorial Ground on 16th August for a friendly fixture against Warfield, and despite posting a competitive 188 for 9 from their 35 overs, captain Elliot Gray's side were ultimately undone by a commanding innings from Warfield skipper Dan Torry and a costly extras tally in the field.

Having won the toss and elected to bat, Sonning made a brisk start through opener Henry Cook, who cracked four boundaries in a rapid 17 from just 14 balls before being bowled by Morgan Price. Karthikeya Reddy, promoted to open alongside Cook, contributed a quickfire 5 before being run out, and when Bharat Rathod fell caught off Price for a duck and Bill Travers was trapped lbw by the same bowler without scoring, Sonning found themselves in difficulty at 46 for 4. Price's opening spell of 6 overs proved devastating, returning figures of 3 for 27 including two maidens.

Robert Jones held the innings together through the early wobble, striking nine fours in an assured 48 from 42 deliveries. His fifth-wicket partnership of 41 with Kishan Akula steadied the ship and shifted the momentum back in Sonning's favour, but Jones's departure caught off Alex Gulliver still left much to do at 87 for 5.

Akula then produced the innings of the day, anchoring the middle and lower order with an excellent 59 from 72 balls, laced with twelve boundaries. His sixth-wicket stand of 80 with Wasim Amin transformed the scoreboard and gave Sonning genuine hope of setting a challenging target. Amin contributed a valuable 32 from 45 balls before being stumped by Roger Goff off Tim Worsley, who also accounted for Edward Duvall stumped in the same fashion to finish with 2 for 14 from his three overs. Akula was eventually bowled by Taranjit Gidey, and late wickets saw Sonning close on 188 for 9.

In reply, Warfield captain Dan Torry took control from the outset. He and Jack Cantle put on 43 for the opening wicket before Robert Jones broke through, bowling Cantle for 12. Jones struck again soon after, having Goff caught behind by wicketkeeper Neil Jasti for 4, reducing the hosts to 62 for 2. Jones's seven overs yielded excellent figures of 2 for 20 with two maidens, while Jasti was busy behind the stumps.

Torry, however, remained unmoved. He shared a partnership of 44 with Tim Worsley for the third wicket, during which Worsley was run out by Jones for 5, but the Warfield skipper continued to accumulate. His innings of 72 from 83 balls, featuring fifteen fours, was the backbone of the chase. Even after Torry fell caught by Jasti off Wasim Amin at 137 for 4, and Amin immediately had Ant Sharpe caught by Jones for a golden duck to make it 137 for 5, the damage had been done.

Taranjit Gidey, who had earlier claimed the key wicket of Akula with the ball, proved equally influential with the bat. His unbeaten 44 from 49 balls, peppered with eight fours, guided Warfield home alongside Morgan Price, who chipped in with an unbeaten 13 including a six. The pair added an unbroken 55 for the sixth wicket, seeing Warfield to 192 for 5 with just over an over to spare. Sonning's cause was not helped by conceding 42 extras — including 19 byes and 15 wides — which effectively handed Warfield the equivalent of another batsman's contribution and proved the decisive margin in a match that slipped away despite strong individual performances from Akula, Jones and Amin.