U9 Kestrels v Littlewick Green Under 9

Kestrels Fall Short as Littlewick Green Prove Too Strong in Pairs Contest

Sonning U9 Kestrels travelled to King George's Field on 2nd August for a BYCL Under 9 Super 8s North East league fixture against Littlewick Green, but despite some promising individual contributions with the bat, the visitors were unable to defend their total in a pairs format encounter that ultimately went the way of the home side.

Captain Mihira Arisetty won the toss and chose to bat first, and the Kestrels set about building a score across their 20 overs. The early going proved difficult, with Ibrahim Jafri and Subir Singh both unable to trouble the scorers as Littlewick Green's opening bowlers found their rhythm. B Appelbee was particularly impressive, bowling a maiden in his two-over spell and conceding just two runs, while R Verma also delivered a maiden during a tidy stint.

The middle order offered considerably more resistance. Leopold Ellis top-scored initially with 13 runs from 28 balls, showing patience at the crease, while Aadvik Gonchikar matched that tally with a brisker 13 from 12 deliveries. Ranveer Hunjan was the Kestrels' leading run-scorer with a fluent 15 off 12 balls, and Kayen Singh Rekhi contributed a useful 12 from 11. Yeshwin Saimpu added an enterprising 11 from just nine balls late in the innings. With only two wickets falling across the 20 overs and a substantial extras tally, the Kestrels posted 96 runs from the bat alongside 201 extras in the pairs scoring system, finishing on a starting total adjusted by their dismissals.

In reply, Littlewick Green batted with greater authority across their lineup. Their captain B Appelbee was the standout performer with the bat, blasting 28 runs from just 12 deliveries in a match-winning contribution. P Thackeray provided excellent support with 16 off 12 balls, and the pair's late assault proved decisive. T Vaughan and C Mason each contributed 11, while H Rees added nine as the home side's batting proved deep and consistent.

The Kestrels' bowling attack found wickets hard to come by, managing just four dismissals across the 20 overs. Yeshwin Saimpu was the pick of the Sonning bowlers, returning figures of 2-0-8-1 — the most economical spell of the innings. Leopold Ellis continued his all-round contribution with a tidy 2-0-7-0, while Aadvik Gonchikar conceded only six from his two overs. Subir Singh also bowled with discipline, going for just eight runs without a wide or no-ball in his allocation.

Ranveer Hunjan and Ashwin Choudrie each claimed a wicket apiece, but the Kestrels were unable to apply sustained pressure, with 35 extras conceded during the Littlewick Green innings. The home side's batters scored 133 runs from the bat compared to Sonning's 96, and with fewer wickets lost — four compared to two, but the overall scoring differential proved too great for the Kestrels to overcome.

Littlewick Green's superior batting depth, anchored by Appelbee's explosive knock, proved the difference as they secured a deserved victory and the two league points on home soil.