League season starts: defeats for 1sts & 2nds, victory for the 3rds

Match reports from Sat May 3rd 2014

A sub standard batting display from Preston cost them dear as they lost out by 5 runs in an entertaining low scoring encounter against visitors Leverstock Green in Herts Division 2 on Saturday.

On winning the toss and electing to bowl first Preston made excellent early progress restricting Green at the half way stage to 67 for 4, thanks largely to the impressive left arm spinner Max Anderson who bowled unchanged in a superb spell of 4 for 57 in 23 overs. In tandem with fellow spinner Andy Riant (4 for 54), Anderson continued to chip away to dismiss the visitors in the 46th over for a below par 137 on what was an excellent wicket.

Preston’s run chase got off to a shocking start, falling to 16 for 3 in the 9th over and then 38 for 5 by the 14th over. However, a spirited fightback from Will Gallimore (21), Max Anderson (17) and a superb 52 from Mark Waters left just 9 runs to win with 3 wickets in hand. But the removal of key man Waters by the evergreen Klosterman brought about a sorry end as the remaining 3 wickets were lost for just 4 runs, Preston being dismissed for 132.

Preston 2nds lost their opening SHCL Division 5 fixture at Leverstock Green 2nds by 7 wickets. New skipper Ashly Catlin (79) and Richard Gatehouse (40) led Preston to a respectable 172 for 9. But a chanceless and classy 109* by Green’s Nahim Iqbal batted Preston out of the game with 6 overs to spare.

Preston 3rds had a superb start to their season at Hitchin Boys’ School, chasing down Botany Bay 3rds impressive total of 225 with 4 wickets in hand. Preston were led by John Garnham (89) and Martin Pierce (79) who put on 150 for the first wicket.