U11 Sabres v Littlewick Green Under 11

Sabres Fall Short as Littlewick Green Edge Home in Tight Pairs Contest

Sonning U11 Sabres posted 97 for seven from their 16 overs but were unable to defend the total as Littlewick Green chased down the target with a final score of 93 for two in this BYCL Under 11 T16 Pairs fixture on 2nd June. Under the pairs format with its starting total and five-run dismissal penalties, Littlewick Green's more disciplined second innings ultimately proved decisive.

After losing the toss and being asked to bat, the Sabres made a slow start with opener Anay Goswami managing just one run from 13 deliveries. It was Diyaan Monga who injected early momentum into the innings, striking three fours in an aggressive 14 off 11 balls before being dismissed. Captain Alexander Hatchett-Walker contributed a useful seven from nine balls to keep the scoreboard moving through the early overs.

The standout innings came from Hemanvi Vallabhaneni, who top-scored for the Sabres with a composed 20 off 24 balls, finding the boundary three times during her stay. Mitul Kalidindi added 10 from his 24 deliveries, including one four, though both batters lost wickets along the way — Vallabhaneni was dismissed twice and Kalidindi three times, costing the Sabres valuable runs through penalties.

Extras played a significant role in the Sabres' total, contributing 40 runs — nearly half the team's score. Littlewick Green's bowlers struggled with their lines at times, conceding 17 wides and 22 no-balls, with Nour Shima alone sending down 12 no-balls in two overs. Edward Vaughan was the pick of the visiting attack, returning excellent figures of 2-6 from two overs including a maiden, while Monty Newman was equally parsimonious with 1-5 from his allocation.

In reply, Littlewick Green lost only two wickets across their 16 overs, and it was captain and wicketkeeper Edward Vaughan who proved the difference with bat as well as ball. Vaughan struck a fluent 24 from 19 deliveries, dispatching five boundaries to steer his side home. Freddie Weaving provided valuable support with 12 off 11 balls, hitting two fours, while opener S Hirst chipped in with eight.

For the Sabres, the bowling effort was honest but lacked the penetration needed to take regular wickets. Abubakar Waseem was the most economical bowler, conceding just six runs from his two overs without a wide or no-ball. Matyas Sheppard also impressed, bowling a maiden in his spell of 2-0-5-0. Anay Goswami and Alexander Hatchett-Walker claimed the two wickets to fall, but 20 wides and six no-balls from the Sabres' attack gifted Littlewick Green 31 extras, keeping the visitors well on track throughout the chase.

The result was a deserved victory for a disciplined Littlewick Green side who lost fewer wickets and conceded fewer extras when it mattered most. For the Sabres, the individual contributions of Vallabhaneni and Monga with the bat, alongside tidy spells from Waseem and Sheppard, offered plenty of encouragement despite the defeat.