Stingers Soft Ball v Emmbrook & Bearwood Womens Softball

Rita Green's Explosive 39 Powers Stingers to Commanding Victory

Sonning Stingers Soft Ball delivered a dominant batting display to overcome Emmbrook & Bearwood by 38 runs in their Berkshire Women's Softball Indoor Division 1 fixture on 19th March 2023. Chasing 59 for victory, the Stingers stormed to 96 for 2 from their 12 overs, with Rita Green producing a breathtaking innings that left the opposition with no answer.

Emmbrook & Bearwood won the toss and chose to bat first, but found run-scoring difficult against a disciplined Stingers bowling attack. Captain Melissa Pengraeve was the pick of the bowlers, conceding just four runs from her two overs while claiming a wicket. Elinor Longridge matched her with a wicket of her own, returning tidy figures of 2-0-8-1 to keep the early pressure on.

Deepa Ravi provided the most resistance for Emmbrook & Bearwood, striking 18 from 13 balls with a four and a six to inject some much-needed urgency into the innings. Lucy Prismall contributed 14 from 17 deliveries at the top of the order, including a six, but the remaining batters struggled to find the boundary. Anna Alborough was dismissed twice during her innings of 6 from 13 balls, and with 10 extras padding the total, Emmbrook & Bearwood posted a modest 58 for 2.

The Stingers' reply got off to a solid if unspectacular start, with Chloe Bailey scoring 10 from 10 balls before being dismissed. Elinor Longridge added 8 from 14 deliveries at the other end, helping to lay a foundation without ever allowing the required rate to become a concern.

Then Rita Green arrived at the crease and transformed the contest entirely. The wicketkeeper-batter blazed 39 from just 15 balls, clearing the rope five times and finding the boundary once in an exhibition of clean hitting. Her assault was particularly savage against Prisha Pandit, who conceded 28 runs from her two overs, and Katherine Brickley, who leaked 20 from her allocation including six wides and two no-balls. Green's onslaught not only secured the victory with ease but pushed the Stingers' total well beyond what was required.

Amberley Taylor and captain Pengraeve each chipped in with 8 runs apiece, ensuring contributions came throughout the order. The Emmbrook & Bearwood bowlers struggled for control, sending down 22 extras in total — 18 of them wides — as their discipline deserted them under the weight of Green's assault. Sonali Patil and Lucy Prismall claimed a wicket each, but there was little to celebrate for the visitors on a chastening afternoon.

The comprehensive victory earned the Stingers four league points, leaving Emmbrook & Bearwood to reflect on a game that slipped away from them during a devastating middle-order partnership that tore their bowling apart.