2nd XI v Pinkneys Green 1st XI

Sonning 2nd XI Fall Short in Chase as Pinkneys Green Prove Too Strong

Sonning 2nd XI travelled to Pinkneys Green in Division 5B on Saturday and, despite a battling captain's knock from Robert Mosley and a productive middle-order partnership, were bowled out for 166 in pursuit of 226, losing by 59 runs.

Pinkneys Green won the toss and elected to bat on their home ground, and opener Amit Talhan made the most of first use of the surface. He anchored the early innings with a composed 63 from 89 balls, striking seven fours and a six. Talhan put on 52 for the first wicket with Simon Dudderidge (14) before Jameel Ahamed made the breakthrough, bowling Dudderidge. Ahamed then struck twice more in quick succession, removing Harry Reddy for 5 — caught by John Rimmer — and Vinay Reddy for a duck, caught by Jack Wolfenden, to reduce the hosts to 61 for 3.

That brought captain Jack Stemp to the crease, and he and Talhan launched a devastating counterattack. Their fourth-wicket stand of 93 was the defining partnership of the innings, with Stemp playing fluently for 53 off 65 balls, lacing nine boundaries. Duncan Parr eventually ended both set batsmen, having Talhan caught by Hatib Khan and Stemp caught by Rimmer, but the damage was done. Uday Tikoo added a brisk 31 not out from 33 balls before retiring, and Pinkneys Green closed on a formidable 225 for 7 from their 45 overs. Ahamed was the pick of the Sonning attack with 3 for 40 from his nine overs, while Parr returned tidy figures of 2 for 33. Aadil Khan bowled with admirable control, conceding just 24 runs from nine overs with three maidens, though without reward on the scorecard.

The reply got off to a steady start as Mosley and Parr put on 21 for the first wicket before Parr fell for 14, bowled by Imran Tariq. Dan Anderson followed cheaply for 1, trapped in front by Jagjit Dhillon, and at 25 for 2 Sonning needed a substantial partnership.

Mosley and Robert Jones provided exactly that. The pair added 79 for the third wicket, the highest stand of the Sonning innings, taking the score past the 100 mark and keeping the required rate within reach. Mosley grafted patiently, accumulating 42 from 87 deliveries with five fours, while Jones played with more freedom, striking three boundaries in his 37 off 41 balls. The partnership was broken when Jones was run out by Harry Reddy with the score on 104, and Mosley followed shortly after, caught by Dhillon off the bowling of Chandra Bandla for 42, leaving Sonning 116 for 4.

The lower middle order could not sustain the momentum. Ankit Sharma contributed a useful 21 from 26 balls and shared a 20-run stand with Rimmer for the fifth wicket, but Bandla proved difficult to handle, finishing with 3 for 37 from his nine overs. He accounted for Mosley, Rimmer (caught and bowled for 9) and Wolfenden in quick succession, and when Sharma fell for 21 — caught off Talhan — the match was effectively over at 145 for 8. Aadil Khan struck some late blows, remaining unbeaten on 15 from just 11 balls with three fours, but Saleem Ahmed wrapped up the tail by having Hatib Khan caught, and Sonning were dismissed for 166 in 38.3 overs.

Despite the defeat, Sonning collected seven bonus points — three for batting and four for bowling — which offers some consolation in the league standings. The bowling unit, led by Ahamed and Parr, competed well, but the 40 extras conceded in the first innings, including 17 byes and 16 wides, ultimately proved costly in a match where the margin of defeat might otherwise have been narrower.