U11 Scorchers v Reading Under 11 - Tigers

Scorchers Chase Down Reading with Overs to Spare at Knowl Hill

Sonning U11 Scorchers secured a comfortable victory over Reading Tigers in the BYCL Under 11 T20 Blast West at Knowl Hill on 10th June, chasing down a target of 81 with more than eight overs remaining.

Reading captain Reesha Bharti won the toss and elected to bat, but her side struggled to build momentum against a disciplined Sonning bowling attack. The Tigers lost Hafsa Siddiqui to a run out with the score on just 3, and although Virat Birajdar anchored the innings with an unbeaten 11 from 30 balls, the visiting batters found run-scoring difficult throughout. Bharti contributed 10 from 25 deliveries before retiring not out, while Manaswa Telavane managed 5 from 25 balls with a solitary boundary before also retiring.

The standout bowling performances for the Scorchers came from Jonathan Turner and Elijah Patterson. Turner was superb, returning figures of 2-1 from his two overs, clean bowling Vishwa Kumar and having Hamadan Mohammed caught by captain Musa Meer. Patterson was equally miserly, conceding just a single run from his two overs while claiming the wicket of Ayan Pradhan, bowled for a golden duck. Harrison Kidd also impressed with 1-4 from two overs, including a maiden, as he bowled Saagnick Suresh.

Zain Baloch and Ridith Kandadi both delivered tidy spells, each bowling a maiden over and conceding 3 and 6 runs respectively. The extras column told a story for Sonning, however, with 51 extras — including 40 wides — inflating Reading's total to 80-5 from their 20 overs, well beyond what the batters alone contributed with just 29 runs from the bat.

The Scorchers' reply began with a wobble when Elijah Patterson was bowled by Manaswa Telavane for a duck with the score on 1. Jonathan Turner and Vivaan Ramesh then steadied the ship with a crucial second-wicket partnership of 32 runs. Turner struck the ball with growing confidence, making 7 from 14 balls before being stumped by Ayan Pradhan off the bowling of Charan Jay.

Ramesh proved the backbone of the chase, top-scoring with 16 from 25 balls including a four before retiring not out. When Oliver Baker (3) fell lbw to Virat Birajdar and Svarup Huggi was trapped in front by Charan Jay in quick succession, the Scorchers still needed runs with four wickets down at 56.

Lewis Towner settled any lingering nerves with a blistering cameo. The wicketkeeper smashed 12 not out from just 8 deliveries, cracking two boundaries as he and Jacob Garner (6 not out) put on an unbroken stand to guide Sonning past the target. The Scorchers reached 81-4 in 11.3 overs, with Reading's generous extras tally of 37 — featuring 18 no-balls and 15 wides — easing the path considerably.

It was an assured all-round display from the Scorchers, with ten bowlers used and every member of the squad contributing to a well-earned league victory.