4th XI vs Sulhamstead & Ufton

Bansode's Five-Wicket Heroics Not Enough as Sulhamstead's Seward Steers Chase Home

Sonning 4th XI fell to a narrow defeat against Sulhamstead & Ufton CC in their Division 10A clash, despite posting a competitive total and a remarkable bowling performance from Sunit Bansode. After winning the toss at home, Sulhamstead elected to field first and restricted the visitors to 167 all out before successfully chasing down the target with two wickets in hand.

Batting first, Sonning lost early wickets as Jack Stanley removed both Charles Astwood (12) and Arun Raghavendra (4) to leave them at 17-2. Syed Naqi provided some resistance with a fluent 43 from 41 deliveries, including nine boundaries, before falling to Tom Haxton with the score at 64, ending a promising partnership with Kabir Dave.

Robert Jones emerged as Sonning's standout batsman, crafting a composed 54 from 53 balls with 11 boundaries. His crucial seventh-wicket partnership of 71 runs with Sunit Bansode (21) helped Sonning recover from 91-6 to a more respectable total. Haxton was the pick of the Sulhamstead bowlers, claiming 3-25 from his six overs, while Nick Harris (2-17) and Jack Stanley (2-16) provided excellent support.

Sulhamstead's chase began cautiously as Graham MacBeth scored 14 from 55 deliveries before falling to Kabir Dave. When Robert Jones dismissed Leigh Collins for just 2, Sonning seemed to be in control with the hosts at 24-2. However, wicketkeeper Jamie Seward then produced a match-winning innings, hammering 96 not out from just 63 balls, including 15 fours and two sixes.

Seward found valuable support from Nick Harris, who struck a brisk 31 from 20 deliveries in a pivotal 57-run partnership that accelerated the chase considerably. Just as Sonning appeared out of the contest, Bansode delivered a remarkable spell, claiming 5-19 from four overs to trigger a dramatic collapse.

In a stunning passage of play, Bansode dismissed Harris, Leroy Abbott, Drew Kerr, Harry Graham, and Tom Haxton in quick succession, reducing Sulhamstead from a comfortable 141-3 to a precarious 161-8. His remarkable five-wicket haul included a caught and bowled and a sharp stumping by Alex Mcloughlin.

Despite Bansode's heroics, Seward held his nerve in the closing stages, guiding Sulhamstead to their target of 168 in the 30th over with just two wickets remaining. The result left Sonning reflecting on what might have been, particularly after their late fightback had threatened an unlikely victory.