Stingers Soft Ball v Wargrave Ladies Softball

Stingers Dominate Wargrave with Commanding 53-Run Victory

Sonning Stingers Soft Ball posted an imposing total of 112 for 1 from their 12 overs before restricting Wargrave to just 59 for 3 in reply, securing a comprehensive victory in the Berkshire Women's Softball Performance – East league on 24th July 2022.

After Wargrave captain Samantha Hood won the toss and chose to field, the Stingers set about making her regret that decision. Openers Frances Howson (6 off 10 balls) and Freya Spafford (6 off 6) provided a steady start before Melissa Pengraeve stepped up the tempo with an excellent knock of 20 off just 12 deliveries, striking two boundaries along the way. Pengraeve was the only Sonning batter dismissed in the innings, falling to Hood, but by then the damage had been well and truly done.

The standout performance with the bat came from Siobhan Davis, who top-scored with a fluent 25 off 14 balls, finding the boundary three times in an innings that demonstrated both timing and intent. Captain Sharon Fleming contributed a valuable 13 off 16 balls, while Sarah Wonham added a brisk 9 off just 6 deliveries, including two fours.

Wargrave's bowling attack struggled for consistency throughout, conceding 43 extras in total, including 20 wides and 8 no-balls. Manya Dhallam's two overs proved particularly costly, going for 17 runs while delivering 6 wides and 6 no-balls. Amanda Bayley conceded 21 from her two overs, and Namah Satwah went for 20 in her spell, as the Stingers capitalised on every loose delivery.

In reply, Wargrave found run-scoring extremely difficult against a disciplined Sonning bowling unit. Frances Howson set the tone superbly at the top of the attack, conceding just 2 runs from her two overs and bowling a maiden — a remarkable feat in softball cricket. Siobhan Davis backed up her batting heroics with an impressive spell of 2 overs for 6 runs and 1 wicket, underlining her all-round contribution to the victory.

Melissa Pengraeve also made her mark with the ball, claiming 1 wicket for 8 runs from her two overs, while the Wargrave batters toiled throughout. Sudiksha Dixit was the visitors' top scorer with 9 off 14 balls, but no other batter managed more than 4 runs. Charlie Spencer and captain Samantha Hood both fell for ducks, and the visitors' total of 59 included a hefty 41 extras — 20 of which were wides — meaning they scored only 18 runs from the bat across the entire innings.

The margin of victory — 53 runs — reflected the Stingers' dominance in all three departments. Davis's all-round display of 25 runs and 1 for 6 was the individual highlight, while Pengraeve's 20 with the bat and wicket with the ball made her another key contributor. Under Sharon Fleming's captaincy, every member of the squad played their part in a thoroughly professional team performance.