Womens 1st XI v East & West Hendred Womens 1st XI

Pengraeve Stars as Sonning Women Secure Victory Over East & West Hendred

Sonning Women's 1st XI claimed a well-deserved victory over East & West Hendred in the Super 8 Development Group D on 15th May 2022, defending their total of 76 for 3 before restricting the visitors to a chase that ultimately fell short in this pairs format encounter.

Captain Sophie Eckley won the toss and elected to bat, with Sonning starting steadily through openers Siobhan Davis and Chloe Bailey. Davis showed positive intent in compiling 9 from 15 balls at the top of the order, while Bailey contributed 2 from her 10 deliveries. Grace Phillips (3) and Eckley herself (6 off 15 balls) kept the scoreboard ticking, though both lost their wickets as East & West Hendred's bowlers fought to contain the run rate.

The decisive contribution with the bat came from Melissa Pengraeve, who top-scored with an excellent 16 off just 17 balls from the number seven position. Her innings provided the impetus Sonning needed in the closing overs, ably supported by Freya Spafford, who struck a brisk 5 from 7 deliveries. Sudaf Waheed chipped in with 5 off 17 balls to help Sonning post 76 for 3 from their 16 overs. A significant 29 extras, including 24 wides, also bolstered the total considerably.

East & West Hendred's bowling was shared across six bowlers, with Sarah Webb and Madeleine Freudenfeld claiming a wicket apiece. However, discipline proved costly for the visitors, with extras accounting for more than a third of Sonning's total. Poppy Hubbard's solitary over went for 8, all in wides, while Darcy Ford conceded 6 wides in her three overs.

In reply, Sonning's bowlers made early inroads and kept the opposition batters under pressure throughout. Pengraeve followed up her batting heroics with an impressive spell of 2 for 11 from her 3 overs, while Davis matched her figures with 2 for 12 from 3 overs. Freya Spafford also contributed with the ball, picking up 1 for 6 from her single over.

Madeleine Freudenfeld proved the most resilient batter for East & West Hendred, top-scoring with 15 from 19 balls, though she was dismissed three times in the process, incurring costly penalties in the pairs format. Lily Clayton added 6 and Lorraine Ashton struck a quick-fire 5 from 5 balls, but no other visiting batter could make a meaningful contribution. Kitty Spurgeon, Darcy Ford and Liz Verrall all failed to score.

Chloe Bailey deserves credit for her economical spell with the ball, returning figures of 0 for 11 from 3 overs including a maiden, which helped build pressure at a crucial stage. Despite conceding 33 extras of their own — 25 of which were wides — Sonning's five wickets proved the difference, as East & West Hendred's total of 82 for 5 was not enough to overhaul Sonning's adjusted score in the pairs format. It was a fine all-round performance from Pengraeve in particular, whose 16 runs and 2 wickets proved decisive in securing the six league points for the home side.