Sonning vs WCCC

Date: Sunday, 21 April 2024

Venue: Pound Lane, Sonning, Reading - RG4 6XE

Type: Timed Game

Result: Match Drawn

Key Facts:

• Tejas Ved plays for WCCC as a Vice Captain for the first time in absence of Suren Iyer.

• Samir Patel makes his debut.

On a cold but clear day at the picturesque Sonning CC ground, Corinthians turned up for a timed game. WCCC won the toss the elected to field first.

First Innings: Sonning CC

WCCC's captain won the toss and opted to field first, a decision that seemed to pay dividends early on as the opening bowlers, Vivek Velandy and Akshay Samarth, troubling the opening batters. Akshay Samarth made early breakthroughs. Akshay's inswinger accounted for the dismissal of Dhruv Peshkar, and then dismissed the other opener with a classical outswinger which found the edge of the batter taken at 2nd slip by Tejas Ved.

Despite early setbacks, Sonning found resilience in their middle order, particularly with Raoul Harding's explosive innings of 56 runs off just 28 balls. However, it was Dharmik Shah's crafty spin bowling that proved pivotal, claiming three crucial wickets and keeping the scoring rate in check for a while. Shamitha Widanapathirana's composed 49 and Oscar Hienzsch's quickfire 43* further bolstered Sonning's total. Tejas Ved and Gaurav Sharma also contributed with a wicket each. Sonning eventually declared after 42 overs with a formidable total of 252 runs on the board.

Notable Performances:

• Raoul Harding: 56 runs

• Shamitha Widanapathirana: 49 runs

• Oscar Hienzsch: 43* runs not out

• Dharmik Shah: 10 overs, 3 wickets for 40 runs

• Akshay Samarth: 9 overs, 3 wickets for 31 runs

• Tejas Ved 5 overs, 1 wicket for 27 runs

Second Innings: WCCC

With a challenging target to chase down, WCCC faced an early setback as makeshift opener Gaurav fell for a duck. However, Dipen Patel's solid knock of 25 runs provided stability, while debutant Samir Patel showcased his potential with a gritty 24 runs. The partnership between Samir and Tejas Ved proved crucial, with Tejas anchoring the innings with an unbeaten 63 runs, supported by Balaji's valuable contribution of 22.

The match seemed destined for a draw as the required run rate climbed to over 12 runs per over. Tejas Ved's composed innings ensured WCCC finished their innings on a respectable note, with others playing a supporting role to steer the team towards safety.

Notable Performances:

• Tejas Ved: 63* runs

• Dipen Patel: 25 runs

• Samir Patel: 24 runs

• Daniel Longbridge: 9 overs, 2 wickets for 28 runs

• Richard Skeil: 3 overs, 1 wicket for 7 runs

• Adnan Syed: 6 overs, 1 wicket for 37 runs

Despite both teams displaying moments of brilliance with bat and ball, the match ultimately ended in a draw. As the season progresses, both teams will look to build on their performances and look to out do each other in the same fixture later in the year in July.

Player of the Match: Tejas Ved ⭐