Stingers Soft Ball v Wargrave Ladies Softball

Stingers Storm to Comprehensive Victory at Wargrave

Sonning Stingers Soft Ball produced a dominant all-round display to defeat Wargrave by 58 runs in the Berkshire Women's Softball Performance – East league fixture at Wargrave Cricket Club on 17th July 2022. Batting first after losing the toss, the Stingers posted an imposing 129 for 3 from their 12 overs before restricting the hosts to just 71 for 6 in reply.

Frances Howson set the tone at the top of the order with a blistering 31 from only 13 balls, striking five fours and a six to give the Stingers a rapid start. Howson's aggressive intent put Wargrave on the back foot immediately, and the opening salvos proved difficult for the home side's bowlers to contain. Sarah Bennett and captain Samantha Hood both conceded freely, going for 31 from two overs and 24 from two overs respectively.

Siobhan Davis continued the momentum with a composed 18 from 13 deliveries, finding the boundary three times and clearing it once. Further down the order, captain Melissa Pengraeve matched that tally with 18 of her own from 12 balls, including four fours, while Freya Spafford chipped in with a brisk 13 from eight balls featuring a four and a six. The Wargrave attack struggled throughout, conceding 68 extras — including 32 wides — as the Stingers' total swelled to a formidable 129. Manya Dhallam was the pick of the home bowlers, claiming two wickets from her two overs for 14 runs.

Wargrave's reply never truly gained traction against disciplined Stingers bowling. Fiona Henry top-scored for the hosts with 16 from 10 balls, striking four boundaries to briefly threaten, while Sarah Bennett contributed 11 including a six. Zoe Howe added 12 from 12 balls lower down, but wickets fell at regular intervals to prevent any sustained partnerships from developing.

The Stingers' bowling attack shared the wickets impressively across the side. Davis was the standout performer with the ball, taking 2 for 11 from her two overs to add to her useful batting contribution. Howson proved equally effective, bowling a maiden in her spell of 2-0-6-1, while Spafford was miserly in her single over, conceding just four runs and claiming a wicket.

Pengraeve also contributed with the ball, returning figures of 1 for 7 from two tidy overs to cap an excellent personal all-round performance. The combination of tight bowling and regular breakthroughs meant Wargrave were never able to build the momentum required, and the home side's innings closed on 71 for 6, well short of the target.

The comprehensive 58-run victory earned the Stingers three league points and underlined the strength of their squad, with contributions across the batting and bowling line-ups. Howson's explosive innings at the top and Davis's all-round excellence were the highlights of a thoroughly professional away performance.