3rd XI vs Hurst Rangers CC

Shah's Stylish 85 Not Enough as Sonning 3rd XI Fall Short Against Hurst Rangers

Hassan Shah's impressive 85 couldn't prevent Sonning 3rd XI from suffering defeat against Hurst Rangers CC in their Division 8B league encounter at Waingels College. Despite posting a competitive 223-5 from their 40 overs, Sonning were unable to defend their total as the visitors reached their target with seven wickets down and five balls to spare.

After winning the toss and electing to field, Hurst Rangers were met with strong resistance from Sonning's opening pair. Aseem Shafi (24) and Hassan Shah put on 94 for the first wicket before Shafi fell lbw to Mahesh M. Shah continued to impress, striking 13 fours and 2 sixes in his 91-ball innings, eventually falling to Aman Sharma after a well-constructed 85.

Sonning captain Arun Kumar Pera took charge in the middle order, contributing an unbeaten 65 from 63 deliveries including 8 boundaries. His partnerships of 58 with Shah and 46 with Max Murphy (13) helped Sonning accelerate through the middle overs. Aman Sharma was the pick of the Hurst Rangers bowlers, claiming 2-35 from his eight overs.

In response, Hurst Rangers made a confident start through openers Bhaskar Bandaru and Abhijit Shinde, who compiled a century stand. Bandaru struck 7 fours in his 51 before being bowled by Aseem Shafi, while Shinde top-scored for the visitors with 58, including 9 boundaries, before falling to Tarun Raj Ponsingh with the score on 130.

Max Murphy provided a brief spark for Sonning by removing Josh Smith and Guruprasad Nagaraj in quick succession, finishing with figures of 2-13 from five economical overs. When Ethan Towner dismissed Aman Sharma for 25, Hurst Rangers still required 40 runs with five wickets in hand.

Rajnish Singh (28) and Jake Scott (24) kept the chase on track with a crucial 30-run partnership for the sixth wicket. Although Jack Durrant removed Singh with the score on 214 and Asad Imam claimed Scott's wicket soon after, it proved too late for Sonning. Arnav Dutta's quick 7 not out from just 3 balls helped Hurst Rangers over the line with five balls remaining.

The defeat leaves Sonning rueing their inability to capitalise on solid batting performances from Shah and Kumar Pera, while Hurst Rangers demonstrated depth in their batting lineup to successfully chase down a challenging target.