U9 Falcons v Littlewick Green Under 9

Falcons Soar Past Littlewick Green as Kabir Nair Bansode Stars with Bat and Ball

Sonning U9 Falcons secured a comfortable 25-run victory over Littlewick Green in the BYCL Under 9 Super 8s Central League on 14th July, chasing down their opponents' total of 94 with relative ease to post 119 for 3 from their 16 overs.

Captain Oliver Baker won the toss and chose to field first, a decision that proved astute as the Falcons' bowlers kept Littlewick Green largely in check. The visitors' captain C Shears was the standout performer with the bat, striking an aggressive 22 from just 18 balls, including four boundaries, to provide the backbone of his side's innings. Billy Appleby contributed 8 and Chester Shepherd added 7, but no other Littlewick Green batter managed to make a meaningful impact, with M Josiah Browne unable to trouble the scorers from his six deliveries.

The pick of the Sonning bowling attack was Kabir Nair Bansode, who delivered a superb spell of 2-0-2-1, including a maiden over, conceding just two runs from his 12 legitimate deliveries while claiming a wicket. It was a remarkably disciplined display for a young cricketer. Muhammad Ansari also bowled tidily, recording figures of 2-1-11-0 with no wides or no-balls, while Svarup Huggi chipped in with a wicket of his own, finishing with 1 for 10 from his two overs. Jovan Purwaha completed the wicket-taking trio with 1 for 14.

Extras played a significant role in Littlewick Green's total, with 46 of their 94 runs coming without the bat making contact — 20 wides and 22 no-balls proving costly for the young Sonning attack. It was an area where several bowlers, particularly Niko Jordinson (6 wides, 6 no-balls) and Savraj Sall (4 wides, 6 no-balls), will look to improve.

In reply, the Falcons' chase was powered by a blistering knock from Kabir Nair Bansode, who followed up his excellent bowling with 16 runs from just 9 balls, cracking three fours in a match-winning all-round performance. Savraj Sall also batted with confidence, scoring 12 from 13 deliveries with two boundaries, while Oliver Baker anchored the lower order with a composed 8 from 11 balls.

Littlewick Green's bowlers struggled for accuracy throughout the Sonning innings, conceding 66 extras — including 30 wides and 22 no-balls. C Samuel-Gibbon was particularly wayward with 9 wides and 4 no-balls from two overs, while M Josiah Browne sent down 10 no-balls. Opposition captain C Shears was the most economical bowler on show, conceding just 4 runs from his two overs, including a maiden, but found wickets hard to come by.

The victory, earning Sonning a full 20 league points, was built on a strong collective effort from the Falcons squad. Kabir Nair Bansode's outstanding all-round contribution of 16 runs and 1 for 2 was the headline act, but disciplined spells from Muhammad Ansari and useful batting contributions throughout the order ensured the Falcons were never under serious pressure in the chase.