2nd XI v Bracknell 2nd XI

Sonning 2nds Fall Short as Bracknell Recovery Proves Decisive

Sonning 2nd XI's total of 153 all out proved insufficient as Bracknell United chased down the target with four wickets in hand at Bracknell Cricket Club in this Division 4B league fixture on Saturday.

Captain Dan Anderson won the toss and chose to bat, and openers Duncan Parr and Jacob Fitton gave Sonning an encouraging platform. The pair put on 64 for the first wicket, reaching fifty in just 85 balls, with Parr looking particularly comfortable as he struck seven boundaries during a patient knock. Fitton contributed a useful 23 from 43 balls before being run out, and when Parr fell bowled by Kumar Anand for 41 off 76 deliveries, the innings began to stutter.

The middle order struggled to build meaningful partnerships against a disciplined Bracknell attack. Robert Jones managed just a single before falling to Meet Bhanvadia, and at 74 for 3, Anderson and Max Murphy steadied things briefly with a stand of 25 for the fourth wicket. Anderson's stay ended on 12 when he was caught off Bhanvadia, and Murphy followed shortly after for 22, an innings laced with four boundaries but curtailed when the same bowler bowled him to leave Sonning 108 for 5.

The real damage was inflicted by Bhanvadia, who produced a superb spell of 15-6-30-5 to tear through the Sonning batting. Gaurav Jayan was dismissed first ball, and though David Coutts (15) and wicketkeeper Kavya Panchal (19) added 23 for the seventh wicket to nudge the score past 130, Bellal Aziz wrapped up the tail efficiently with figures of 2-5 from 2.1 overs. Sonning were bowled out for 153 in 46.1 overs, a total that always looked light on a decent surface.

The Sonning bowlers made a superb start to the reply, with Jack Durrant ripping through the top order. He had Kumar Anand caught for a duck and then bowled Bracknell captain Veeraraghavan Srinivasan for a golden duck, reducing the hosts to 0 for 2. Ghulam Abbas then accounted for Thiru Mohan, bowled for 5, and at 12 for 3, Sonning sensed an opportunity to force their way back into the contest.

That hope was extinguished by a magnificent counterattack from Nisarg Patel. After a steady start alongside Sri Akshay Kondapalli, who contributed 17 before being caught by Panchal off Jack Wolfenden, Patel cut loose in devastating fashion. He and Aryan Sethi combined for a match-defining partnership of 69 for the fifth wicket, with Patel smashing six fours and three sixes in a blistering 52 from just 43 balls. His half-century arrived in 42 deliveries, and by the time Anderson had him caught, the game had swung decisively in Bracknell's favour.

Sethi continued the assault with a fluent 36 from 38 balls before falling caught off Duncan Parr's bowling, but Alex Ray (11 not out) and Akmal Sultan (24 not out from 22 balls, including five fours) ensured there were no further alarms. The unbroken seventh-wicket stand guided Bracknell home to 154 for 6 in 31.2 overs, completing the chase with relative comfort. For Sonning, all six bowlers used took at least some punishment, with Durrant's early two-wicket burst the standout contribution in what was ultimately a disappointing afternoon on the road.