Stingers Soft Ball v Holyport Womens 1st XI

Stingers Cruise Past Holyport in Dominant Cup Victory

Sonning Stingers Soft Ball advanced in the WSB Cup with a comprehensive victory over Holyport at King George's Field on Wednesday evening, winning on fewer wickets lost after posting an imposing 128 for 1 in reply to the visitors' 77 for 5.

Captain Katie Barrows won the toss and elected to field, a decision that proved astute as her own bowling figures demonstrated. Barrows was the standout performer with the ball, claiming three wickets from her three overs while conceding just 12 runs — comfortably the best return of the evening. Her spell broke the backbone of the Holyport innings and ensured the visitors never built sustained momentum.

Chloe Bailey provided useful support with the ball, picking up one wicket in her economical two-over spell that yielded only five runs. Belle Myers was equally disciplined, her three overs going for 12 without a wicket but keeping the pressure on at the other end. Elizabeth Van Deventer also bowled three tidy overs for 11 runs, though extras proved harder to contain elsewhere, with 22 in total — including 16 wides — boosting the Holyport total.

For the visitors, Dhivya top-scored with 14 off 14 balls, finding the boundary once, while Denise Hancock contributed a steady 12 from 18 deliveries. Irene Jeffers occupied the crease for 24 balls in making 10, and captain Verity Gunn added 9, but no Holyport batter was able to kick on and convert a start into a match-defining innings. Their total of 77 for 5 from 16 overs always looked below par.

The Stingers' reply was clinical from the outset. Elizabeth Van Deventer was the top scorer with a fluent 20 off just 11 balls, striking four fours in an innings that set the tone for the run chase. Nic Blunden was equally destructive, smashing three boundaries in her 19 off 12 deliveries to keep the scoreboard ticking at pace.

Liz Rhodes matched Blunden's contribution with 19 of her own from 13 balls, including three fours, while Anneli Page chipped in with a handy 13 from 15 balls featuring two boundaries. Hannah Brooks got the innings off to a positive start with 12 off 12, and Belle Myers added 11 from nine deliveries. The batting was spread impressively throughout the order, with seven of the eight Stingers batters reaching at least seven runs.

Holyport's bowlers struggled to make inroads, with not a single wicket falling to a bowler across the entire innings. The Stingers lost just one wicket in reaching their target of 128, a remarkable display of batting composure. Extras again played a role, with 24 wides from the Holyport attack gifting additional runs to the home side.

The Stingers completed the chase in 15.5 overs, a margin of 51 runs and with the significant advantage of having lost four fewer wickets than their opponents — a thoroughly dominant performance across all departments in this cup fixture.