U11 Sharks v Shinfield Under 11 Warriors

Sharks Show Grit to Chase Down 106 at Manor Ground

Sonning U11 Sharks secured a hard-fought victory away at Shinfield in the BYCL Under 11 Challenge (Tier 1) North West on 7th June, chasing down the hosts' total of 106 to finish on 112 in a match that saw contributions across the squad.

Captain Svarup Huggi won the toss and elected to field first at Manor Ground Sports Facility, a decision that proved shrewd. Shinfield's batters found early runs difficult to come by, with Huggi (2-0-3-1) and Jasper Hawkins (2-0-3-1) bowling tight opening spells that kept the scoreboard under pressure. Hawkins was particularly impressive, claiming a maiden in his two-over allocation while conceding just three runs. Savraj Sall also delivered a disciplined spell of 2-0-3-0, including a maiden over of his own.

The hosts' innings was anchored by captain Avyukt Ahlawat, who top-scored with 11 runs from 13 balls, including a cleanly struck six. Adrith Singh matched that tally with 11 off 11, hitting the only boundary of his knock, while Aarnik Jena contributed 8 from 13. However, Shinfield lost eight wickets across the innings, with Jovan Purwaha (2-0-7-1), Chloe Dawes (2-0-4-1), Niko Jordinson, Megan Symes, and Elijah Mani all picking up scalps to share the wickets around. A high extras tally of 59 — including 46 no-balls — inflated the total to 106, giving the Sharks a challenging but achievable target.

The Sonning reply began solidly. Jasper Hawkins showed intent at the top of the order, striking 9 off 15 balls including a four, while Jessica Hawkins produced a composed knock of 10 from 15 with a boundary of her own. Both batters demonstrated patience against some testing spells from Shinfield's Avyukt Ahlawat, whose figures of 2-0-5-3 made him the standout threat with the ball, and Rishaan R, who matched that haul with 2-0-5-3.

The Sharks lost wickets at regular intervals — nine in total — and the chase required steady nerve. Huggi led from the front with the bat as he had with the ball, top-scoring for Sonning with 12 off 15 deliveries, including a well-timed four. His calm presence in the middle proved invaluable as wickets tumbled around him. Savraj Sall, batting at number nine, played a brisk and important cameo of 11 from 11 balls, dispatching two fours in an innings that gave the chase fresh impetus. Chloe Dawes also played a composed hand, her unbeaten 8 off 12 providing useful runs lower down.

Shinfield's bowling was varied but ultimately lacked the consistency to defend their total. Adrith Singh conceded 12 runs from his two overs, eight of which came in wides, while Divam Kumar went for 17. Adith A picked up two wickets but was expensive at 11 runs from his allocation. The extras column in the Sonning innings totalled 48, with 19 wides proving particularly costly for the home side.

The Sharks reached their target with the full complement of overs bowled, finishing on 112 for 9 to claim the 20 points on offer. It was a genuine team effort from Sonning, with all ten players contributing either with bat or ball, reflecting the depth and collective spirit within the squad.