1st XI v White Waltham 1st XI

Bone's Unbeaten 85 Steers Sonning to Remarkable Run Chase at White Waltham

Sonning 1st XI produced a superb batting display to chase down 297 and secure victory in their Division 3A encounter at White Waltham CC on 18th July 2020, reaching their target with five wickets and an over to spare.

White Waltham captain Ben Scarborough won the toss and chose to bat on what proved to be an excellent surface for stroke-making. After a steady start, the hosts lost Andrew Parham to a sharp run out by Luke Compton-Burnett without scoring, and opener Chris Metherell fell lbw to Ghulam Abbas for 29, leaving the home side 47 for 2. From there, however, White Waltham's middle order took control. Andy Elliott struck a fluent 54 featuring ten fours and two sixes, while Daniel Molloy compiled a composed 62 with eight boundaries. The pair added 69 for the third wicket before Elliott was caught by Dan Bone off skipper Andrew Niblett.

Molloy and Jonny Mahoney then put together the most significant partnership of the innings, adding 93 for the fourth wicket. Mahoney contributed an attractive half-century, his 50 laced with nine fours, before both fell to Luke Compton-Burnett's medium pace in quick succession. Scarborough then launched an extraordinary assault, smashing an unbeaten 66 that included six sixes and three fours, propelling the total to 296 for 6 from their 40 overs. Abbas was the pick of the Sonning bowlers, returning impressive figures of 2 for 30 from eight overs with two maidens, while Compton-Burnett chipped in with 2 for 36 from six overs.

Facing a daunting target of 297, Sonning's reply began with real intent. Openers Peter Dean and Duncan Parr laid a solid foundation, putting the visitors on course with aggressive running and confident stroke play. Dean was the more dominant of the pair, eventually falling for a well-made 60, caught by Chris Metherell off Luke Beard. Parr contributed a valuable 39 before Beard bowled him, and the same bowler accounted for Louis Dean for 22, finishing with excellent figures of 3 for 44 from his eight overs.

At 14, captain Niblett's stay was brief, caught by Scarborough off Andrew Parham, and when Compton-Burnett departed for a useful 43 — caught by Mahoney off Jordan Thomas — Sonning still required a significant number of runs with half their wickets gone. The match appeared to be tilting in White Waltham's favour.

Dan Bone had other ideas. The wicketkeeper-batsman played the innings of the match, producing an unbeaten 85 that combined patience with power at precisely the right moments. Bone dismantled the White Waltham attack with clinical precision, punishing anything short or overpitched as the home bowlers searched desperately for a breakthrough. With Ghulam Abbas providing a composed 8 not out at the other end, the pair guided Sonning home to 297 for 5 in 39 overs.

White Waltham's bowlers toiled hard throughout the second innings, with Beard the standout performer. However, the remaining attack struggled to contain the run rate, with Rahul Mohindru conceding 65 from seven overs and Parham going for 54 from his seven. Scarborough, so destructive with the bat, could not replicate his impact with the ball, conceding 23 from three overs as the target diminished.

The victory underlined Sonning's depth of batting, with every member of their top six reaching double figures and Bone's match-defining knock ensuring the visitors collected a well-deserved 22 league points from a pulsating contest at White Waltham.