3rd XI vs Twyford

Sonning Edge Past Twyford in Nail-Biting One-Run Victory

Sonning 3rd XI secured a dramatic one-run victory over Twyford at Waingels College in a Division 8B league encounter that went down to the final ball. After posting 160 all out, Sonning's disciplined bowling restricted Twyford to 159-9 from their full allocation of 40 overs.

Having lost the toss and being asked to bat first, Sonning's innings was anchored by Shamitha Widanapathirana, who compiled a patient 45 from 64 balls with seven boundaries. The home side struggled early on, slumping to 41-4 before Widanapathirana found support from Gaurav Jayan (11) in a crucial 29-run partnership for the fifth wicket.

Max Murphy provided valuable middle-order resistance with 20 runs, combining with Widanapathirana for a pivotal 50-run stand that helped push Sonning towards a competitive total. Late contributions from Daniel Edwards (15) and Sam Taylor (10) ensured Sonning reached 160 before being dismissed in the 37th over.

Twyford's Ben Nichols was the standout bowler, claiming an impressive 5-21 from seven overs, while Ben Ackerman supported well with 2-50. Spence Nichols delivered a tight spell, conceding just 26 runs from his eight overs while claiming one wicket.

In response, Twyford lost Matt Ackerman early before Adam Henley (23) and George Mitchell (24) steadied the innings with a 46-run partnership. When both fell in quick succession, followed by the dismissals of Will Graver (7), Prashanth Juluri (1) and Mike Longson (6), Twyford were struggling at 71-6.

The match swung dramatically when Ben Nichols, batting at number eight, launched a counter-attack with a superb 55 from just 56 deliveries. His 74-run partnership with captain Marc Teal (23) brought Twyford to the brink of victory before Max Murphy removed both batsmen to finish with excellent figures of 3-22.

With tension mounting in the final overs, Daniel Edwards proved the hero with three crucial run-outs, including the ninth wicket of Ben Ackerman (4) in the penultimate over. Despite late resistance from Kiran Juluri (1*) and Spence Nichols (2*), Sonning's bowlers held their nerve to close out a thrilling one-run victory, with Arun Kumar Pera (2-19) and Sam Taylor (2-34) making significant contributions with the ball.