4th XI vs Yateley

Dave's Impressive 81 Not Enough as Sonning 4th XI Fall Short Against Yateley

Sonning 4th XI suffered a narrow defeat at Waingels College on Saturday, falling 41 runs short against Yateley CC in their Division 10B league fixture. Despite a magnificent 81 from Sagar Dave and a fighting half-century from Gaurav Jayan, Sonning couldn't overcome Yateley's imposing first-innings total of 243-7.

After winning the toss, Sonning captain Kabir Dave elected to field first on what appeared to be a batting-friendly track. The decision initially paid dividends when Arun Raghavendra removed Elgan Howells for just 7 runs. However, Yateley's Savir Sharma had other ideas, anchoring the innings with a brilliant 96 off 94 deliveries, including 11 boundaries and two sixes.

Joe Donohue emerged as Sonning's most effective bowler, claiming 3-52 from his eight overs, including the prized wicket of Sharma who fell agonisingly short of a century. Geethika Jyothis, Arun Raghavendra, Gaurav Jayan, and Kabir Dave each chipped in with a wicket apiece as Yateley posted a challenging total. Ahmed Mughal provided late fireworks for the visitors with an unbeaten 36 off just 22 balls, including five fours and a six.

Sonning's run chase began disastrously with both openers departing cheaply. Aveer Sidhu was trapped lbw by Aziz Rahman for 5, while Vikas Singh was caught off Srikanth Chowdary's bowling without scoring. When Dhiren Panchal fell for 9 and Ollie Terry for a duck, Sonning were reeling at 44-4.

The recovery came through a magnificent 127-run partnership between Sagar Dave and Gaurav Jayan. Dave played the innings of the day, striking 15 boundaries in his 81 runs from 101 balls, while Jayan provided excellent support with a patient 50 from 83 deliveries. Their partnership gave Sonning hope of an unlikely victory before Jayan fell lbw to Jonny Mattey with the score on 171.

The dismissal triggered a collapse as Kabir Dave and Christopher Dowse departed in quick succession, before Sagar Dave was finally caught behind off Srikanth Chowdary's bowling for 81. With the main batting threats removed, Sonning's tail could only add 14 more runs, finishing on 202-8 from their allotted 40 overs.

For Yateley, Aziz Rahman and Srikanth Chowdary shared the bowling honours with three wickets apiece, while Jonny Mattey claimed two crucial scalps to help secure victory for the visitors. The result leaves Sonning looking to bounce back in their next league fixture, while acknowledging the positive individual performances from Sagar Dave and Gaurav Jayan with the bat, and Joe Donohue with the ball.