4th XI vs Maidenhead & Bray

Jayan's Heroic 65 Not Enough as Sonning 4th XI Fall Short in Run Chase

Sonning 4th XI narrowly missed out on victory at Claires Court Junior Boys on Saturday, falling 11 runs short in their pursuit of Maidenhead & Bray 6th XI's total of 215. Despite a commanding 65 from Gaurav Jayan, Sonning were dismissed for 204 in the 36th over.

After winning the toss and electing to field, Sonning initially kept the home side in check. Geethika Jyothis (1-23) bowled with discipline, while James Charlton-Perez picked up two crucial wickets in his four-over spell. However, Jerome Amulraj provided the backbone of Maidenhead's innings with a well-constructed 45 from 55 deliveries.

The match swung decisively in Maidenhead's favour during the latter stages of their innings when captain Garth Hinkel smashed an unbeaten 37 from just 26 balls, including two sixes, propelling the home side to 215-9 from their allocated 40 overs. Sonning's cause wasn't helped by conceding 52 extras, including 28 wides.

Sonning's response started poorly when opener Kishan Akula was run out for 6, and both Kabir Dave and Sagar Dave departed in quick succession to leave them struggling at 27-3. The innings was rebuilt through a crucial 73-run partnership between Jayan and Joseph Dowse (25), which gave Sonning hope of chasing down the target.

Jayan's innings was the standout performance for the visitors, his 65 coming from 68 balls and featuring 14 boundaries. When he was eventually bowled by Hinkel with the score at 153, Joe Donohue maintained the momentum with a quickfire 34 from 30 deliveries before being run out at a critical juncture.

Despite late resistance from Ollie Terry (16) and Geethika Jyothis (8 not out), Sonning couldn't quite get over the line as Jerome Amulraj (3-32) and Garth Hinkel (3-28) shared six wickets between them to seal victory for Maidenhead & Bray. The final Sonning wicket fell with the score on 204, leaving them agonisingly short of their target.

The defeat leaves Sonning 4th XI still searching for consistency in Division 10B, though they can take encouragement from claiming 12 bonus points and pushing one of the division's stronger sides to the final over.