4th XI vs Slough

McLoughlin's Valiant 63 Not Enough as Sonning 4th XI Fall Short by 12 Runs

Sonning 4th XI came up just short in their Division 10A clash against Slough Academy XI on Saturday, falling to a 12-run defeat despite a spirited chase of Slough's 214-run total at Slough's 3rd Ground.

After winning the toss and electing to field, Sonning struggled to contain the Slough batting lineup. Lakshmanan Natarajan was the standout performer for the hosts, crafting an unbeaten 55 from 60 deliveries with six boundaries. He was well supported by Hussain Jee, who contributed a brisk 43 from 53 balls, including seven fours and a six, before falling LBW to Joe Donohue.

Nathan Tweed emerged as Sonning's most successful bowler, claiming 3-42 from his 5.4 overs, while Robert Ray (2-25) and Mike Eaton (2-33) provided valuable support. Despite a disciplined spell from Isaac Jenner (1-9 from 4 overs, including a maiden), Slough managed to post a challenging total of 214 all out from 39.4 overs.

Sonning's reply suffered an early setback when Kavya Panchal was run out for just 2. However, wicketkeeper-batsman Alex McLoughlin produced a determined innings, scoring 63 from 83 deliveries with 11 boundaries. McLoughlin shared a crucial 65-run partnership with Nathan Tweed (20) for the second wicket, laying a solid foundation for the chase.

Sagar Dave added a valuable 30 from 32 balls as Sonning maintained hope of reaching their target. However, Lakshmanan Natarajan completed an outstanding all-round performance by claiming 3-34 with the ball, including the key wickets of Ollie Terry and Mike Eaton, both caught behind by Fiza Nausheen Asif Iqbal.

Late resistance from Joe Donohue (12 not out) and Isaac Jenner (7 not out) proved insufficient as Sonning finished on 202-9 from their allotted 40 overs, falling just 12 runs short of victory. Slough captain Surendra Pande contributed significantly with the ball, claiming 2-31 from his 8 overs, including the crucial wicket of Tweed.

The defeat leaves Sonning with work to do in Division 10A, though they can take heart from pushing a strong Slough side to the final overs in a closely fought contest where both teams secured batting and bowling bonus points.