U11 Scorchers v Henley Under 11 Cougars

Scorchers Chase Down 130 With Two Overs to Spare at Prestcold

Sonning U11 Scorchers produced a superb run chase to overhaul Henley's 129 all out, reaching their target of 130 in just 18 overs with six wickets remaining in this BYCL Under 11 T20 Blast West fixture at Prestcold CC on 31st July.

Henley won the toss and elected to bat, but their top order crumbled against disciplined Sonning bowling. Alexander Hatchett-Walker struck twice in his three overs, removing Jack Waterhouse for 2 and George Jones for 2 to leave the hosts in early difficulty. Kabir Nair Bansode was equally effective, bowling Nathanael O'Hare for 7 and finishing with figures of 2-14 from 2.4 overs. Ridith Kandadi added further pressure with two wickets of his own, dismissing Jack South for 5 and Rory Fitzgerald for a golden duck in the same over, as Henley slumped to 52 for 6.

George Taylor offered some resistance with 12 from 12 balls, including two fours, before being caught by Lewis Towner off the bowling of Ranbir Setia. It was Jonjo Carter, however, who gave the Henley innings real substance. Batting at number nine, Carter struck a defiant 33 from 32 balls, hitting five fours and a six. His partnership of 33 with captain Humph Armstrong for the eighth wicket hauled Henley from 58 for 7 to 91 before Armstrong was bowled by Zain Baloch for 10. Carter continued to attack, adding a further 20 for the tenth wicket with Barney Irving before being caught by Vivaan Ramesh off Nair Bansode. The extras column told its own story, with 42 extras — including 16 wides and 12 no-balls — contributing significantly to Henley's total.

Musa Meer deserved special mention with the ball, conceding just seven runs from his two overs including a maiden, while Jacob Garner was even more parsimonious, bowling a maiden in his solitary over without conceding a run. All ten Sonning bowlers were given a turn, reflecting the squad's depth.

The Scorchers' reply began briskly as Kabir Nair Bansode cracked a four in a rapid 5 from 3 balls before being run out, making it 7 for 1. The innings then stuttered as Kiyaan Gupta was caught by Humph Armstrong off Oscar Barlow for a duck after occupying the crease for 11 balls, and Ridith Kandadi was bowled by Jack Waterhouse without scoring. At 21 for 3, Sonning needed a partnership to steady the ship.

Vivaan Ramesh and Ranbir Setia delivered precisely that, putting on 47 for the fourth wicket — comfortably the highest partnership of the match. Ramesh struck three fours in his composed 20 from 20 balls before being bowled by Armstrong, but by then the required rate was well under control. Musa Meer had earlier contributed a steady 15 from 25 balls, retiring not out to allow others an opportunity.

It was Zain Baloch who seized the moment most emphatically. Coming in at number seven, Baloch blazed 27 from just 20 deliveries, peppering the boundary with five fours to accelerate the chase decisively. With Setia anchoring the other end on an unbeaten 21 from 22 balls — featuring three fours of his own — the Scorchers cruised past the target with two full overs to spare. Like the first innings, extras played a considerable role, with 43 added to the Sonning total including 18 wides and 12 no-balls from the Henley attack.

The victory was a fine all-round team effort from the Scorchers, with wickets shared across the bowling attack and meaningful contributions from several batters in the chase. Baloch's dual impact — 1-1 from his over with the ball followed by his match-winning knock — was the standout individual performance of the evening.