4th XI vs Eversley

Dave's Century Heroics Lead Sonning 4th XI to Stunning Chase Against Eversley

Sonning 4th XI secured a thrilling victory at Eversley on Saturday, successfully chasing down a challenging target of 233 with just eight wickets down. The match's standout performance came from Kabir Dave, whose magnificent unbeaten century proved decisive in Sonning's win in the Division 10A fixture.

After winning the toss and electing to field, Sonning initially struggled to contain the Eversley batsmen. The home side's opening partnership set a formidable platform with Jon Last (50) and Henry Carvosso (79) putting together a commanding 121-run stand. Carvosso was particularly aggressive, striking 14 fours and 2 sixes in his 58-ball innings before eventually falling to Kabir Dave's bowling.

Sonning fought back admirably in the latter stages of the innings with Robert Jones claiming 4-47 and Mike Eaton taking 3-22 from his four overs. Julian Cummings contributed a useful 30 for Eversley as they posted a competitive 232 all out from 35.1 overs, with Dave (2-45) providing crucial breakthroughs alongside the efforts of Jones and Eaton.

Sonning's chase began disastrously with Matt Gullick (3-31) and George Bryson (3-31) reducing them to a precarious 49-5. The middle order collapse included the swift dismissals of Charles Astwood (10), David McLoughlin (10), Syed Naqi (10), Hugo Popplewell (10), James Travers (8), and Alex Mcloughlin (0), leaving Sonning's hopes hanging by a thread.

The match-winning partnership came between Dave and young Aahaan Sharma, who displayed tremendous resilience in a 93-run stand for the seventh wicket. Sharma's patient 12 from 54 balls provided crucial support, allowing Dave to counter-attack brilliantly. When Sharma departed, Dave continued his assault, eventually finishing on a superb unbeaten 106 from just 90 deliveries, featuring 18 boundaries and a six. With support from Toby Fitton (2) and Robert Jones (8 not out), Dave guided Sonning to victory with 2.2 overs remaining, completing a remarkable comeback in a match that had seemed lost at the halfway stage.