On a sweltering day that tested both stamina and concentration, Mandip Sohi produced a truly remarkable innings to guide Wargrave 4th XI to a thrilling three-wicket victory over Wraysbury 4th XI in Thames Valley Division 9C. Returning from a back injury, Sohi carried his bat through a scorching chase, striking a sensational 206 not out from just 112 balls — a knock that will long be remembered not just for its scale, but for the manner and timing in which it was delivered.

Faced with a daunting target of 298 after Wraysbury posted an imposing 297-5 in their 40 overs, Wargrave’s task looked particularly steep under relentless heat. Wraysbury’s innings had been built on a solid platform laid by Andy Chinn (84) and Parmjit Bajwa (61), with late acceleration from Hassan Ahmed (39*) and Umer Yunis (22*) pushing them to the brink of 300. Yet, Wargrave’s bowlers — particularly Hemant Mishra, who took 3 for 43 — kept the visitors within touching distance, their control in the latter overs proving crucial.

But the story of the match, without doubt, belonged to Mandip Sohi. Having missed several weeks with a back injury, the veteran opener returned with a statement of intent. From the outset, he took control of the innings, unfurling a mix of brutal drives, powerful pulls, and towering sixes that had Wraysbury’s fielders searching for balls in the undergrowth outside the boundary with increasing regularity.

Such was the ferocity of his striking that multiple balls were lost into neighbouring gardens, roads and beyond — a small but telling reminder of the dominance he exerted on the opposition bowlers. In total, Sohi smashed 17 fours and an extraordinary 16 sixes, peppering all parts of the ground and repeatedly halting play as replacements were found.

Wickets fell around him, with Wargrave stuttering to 121-5 at one stage. But Sohi remained unflustered, pacing his innings with a calm authority that belied the soaring temperatures. He was ably supported in a crucial sixth-wicket partnership by Hemant Mishra, whose composed 43 allowed the scoreboard to tick along and provided the platform Sohi needed to accelerate.

Wraysbury, for all their efforts, had no answer to Sohi’s timing and placement. Even the best of their bowlers, Shoaib Yunus (2-27), could not stem the flow. The innings built to a crescendo in the closing overs, as Sohi moved past his century and then 150 with little sign of fatigue. He reached his double century with an uncharacteristic scampered two runs and the watching players and supporters erupted at the milestone achievement.

When the winning runs were struck in the 38th over, Sohi stood tall — undefeated and unbroken — having single-handedly rewritten the script of a match that had once seemed beyond Wargrave. His innings was not just a triumph of technique, but of endurance, willpower, and sheer class.

For Wraysbury, it was a brutal outcome after setting what should have been a match-winning total. But their bowlers struggled under the unrelenting sun, and once the momentum shifted, they could not wrest it back.

As the players left the field, sweat-drenched and sunburnt, there was unanimous admiration for the man who had just produced one of the innings of the season. In club cricket, such moments become the stuff of legend — and for Mandip Sohi, this was a day that will surely echo through Wargrave’s dressing room for years to come.