Won
| Batsmen | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Richards | Out | 69 | ||||
| Gary Phillips | Out | 33 | ||||
| Ian Boyton | Out | 51 | ||||
| Wade Johnston | Out | 10 | ||||
| Richard Harris | Not Out | 37 | ||||
| Andy Sumner | Out | 0 | ||||
| Duncan Parr | Not Out | 10 | ||||
| Abbas Ghulam | DNB | |||||
| George Troughton | DNB | |||||
| Nigel Jackson | DNB | |||||
| Extras | ||||||
| Bowling | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Economy | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ian Boyton | 9.0 | 1 | 26 | 0 | 2.89 | |
| Wade Johnston | 14.3 | 3 | 41 | 6 | 2.83 | |
| Duncan Parr | 7.0 | 1 | 42 | 1 | 6.00 | |
| Abbas Ghulam | 9.0 | 0 | 65 | 0 | 7.22 | |
| George Troughton | 7.0 | 1 | 26 | 1 | 3.71 | |
| Nigel Jackson | 3.0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 5.00 | |
| Extras | ||||||
| Fielder | Catches | Run Outs | Stumpings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gary Phillips | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Andy Sumner | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Duncan Parr | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Sonning made hard work of finishing off a game which was always in their control after the good start they got due to the terrific opening spell of bowling from Aussie ace Wade Johnston. Skipper Gary Phillips won the toss and decided it would be better to chase on the lightning outfield of the delightful RAF ground in Hillingdon.
Two early Johnston wickets put Sonning in control, but with Ghulam Abbas struggling for rhythm and the fortunate shot a ball Hillingdon opener riding his luck, the scoreboard ticked over at a reasonable pace. With a rock hard track and rapid outfield, it was important that Sonning kept control of the run rate and together with Johnstone, Ian Boyton bowled a very tight spell to put the pressure on the batsmen. George Troughton came on to bowl his best spell of the season , finding that line and length of old and wickets fell at regular intervals. Unfortunately a couple of simple dropped catches hindered Sonning, but with Johnston returning to end up with an excellent 6 for 32, Hillingdon were all out for 233 in the 49th over.
Hillingdon came up with the interesting idea of opening with their 2 young (stroppy/gobby!) spinners, a tactic which backfired on them as Phillips and prolific opener mark Richards racked up an opening stand in the 90’s. The spinners were kept on for far too long even though they did eventually get Richards for an excellent 69 and Phillips for 33. Sonning were well ahead of the run rate and with Ian Boyton coming in and caressing the ball to all parts , it looked as if they would cruise to victory. However Wade Johnston’s first failure with the bat this season, was then followed by 3 quick wickets as first Boyton was very well caught, then Pete Whitmore went cheaply and Andy Sumner went first ball to a buffet ball and nerves were fraught on the boundary. However JJ Harris was still at the crease and having struggled early on against the swinging ball, started to find the middle of the bat and with the ever reliable Duncan Parr, eased Sonning home with 4 overs to spare and 4 wickets in hand. Harris finished up with 37 not out and Parr with 10.
This was a good win, but Sonning must keep their eye on the ball, especially with old rivals Purley coming up next week. They must take their chances in the field and will need to bat more responsibly than against the competent but limited Hillingdon attack
JJ Harris
