Stingers Soft Ball v Crowthorne & Crown Wood Womens Softball

Stingers Fall Short by a Single Run in Tight WSB Division 1 Contest

Sonning Stingers Soft Ball suffered a narrow defeat at the hands of Crowthorne & Crown Wood in their WSB Division 1 fixture on 22nd August, losing by just one run in a match where extras played a dominant role for both sides.

Crowthorne & Crown Wood won the toss and inserted the Stingers, who were set to bat first in this 16-over pairs contest. The early going proved difficult for Sonning's top order, with openers Chloe Bailey (1 off 13 balls) and Hannah Brooks (1 off 11) unable to find the boundary. Captain Grace Phillips managed just 3 from her 13 deliveries at number three, while Amberley Taylor was scoreless from 11 balls as the Stingers struggled to build any momentum through the first half of the innings.

It was Melissa Pengraeve who provided the much-needed impetus in the middle overs, striking three fours in a team-high score of 16 from 17 balls. Anneli Page chipped in with a useful 7 off 9 deliveries, including a boundary, batting at number eight. Their contributions, combined with a hefty 46 extras — 36 of which came from wides — pushed the Stingers to 79 for 3 from their 16 overs.

Crowthorne's bowling was a mixed affair. Maggie Swalwell was the pick of their attack, delivering a maiden in her three overs and finishing with economical figures of 1-7. Nysha Desai also claimed a wicket, conceding just 6 runs from her two overs. However, the visitors were undone by indiscipline elsewhere, with Jenny Sheppard leaking 20 runs from two overs and Sushma Lall conceding 17 from hers, both contributing heavily to the extras tally.

Defending 79, the Stingers needed early breakthroughs but found them hard to come by. Crowthorne's batting was spread evenly across the order, with Maggie Swalwell (8 off 11, including a four) and Nysha Desai (8 off 10, also with a boundary) leading the way. Jenny Sheppard contributed 6, while both Nadia Gaspari and captain Louise Walker scored 5 apiece.

Amberley Taylor was the sole wicket-taker for the Stingers, claiming 1-14 from her three overs. Grace Phillips bowled tidily with figures of 0-12 from three overs, conceding only two wides, but lacked support at the other end. Chloe Bailey's two overs proved costly, going for 14 runs with 10 wides, while Hannah Brooks and Anneli Page each conceded 7 runs from a single over, hampered by six no-balls apiece.

Sonning's bowling also suffered from wayward deliveries, giving away 42 extras — 27 in wides and 14 in no-balls. In a match where the difference between the two totals was a solitary run, those additional extras proved the decisive factor as Crowthorne & Crown Wood reached 80 for 1 to secure the victory and the 10 league points on offer.