Preston First XI v Welwyn Garden City CC

Preston First XI were beaten by 6 wickets against Welwyn Garden City CC. Preston won the toss and elected to bat, posting 253/9 from their 60 overs. Joshua Wigginton led the innings superbly with 114, while Edward Wharton added a strong 67 at the top of the order. Oscar Dunham Welch made 20 and Jacob Williamson added 15, but Preston were kept in check late on. Welwyn Garden City’s attack was led by Alex Chalker, who took 5/83, while Joseph Hewitt finished with 2/42. In reply, Welwyn Garden City reached 256/4 in 48 overs. Fayaz Homyoon’s 133 was the decisive innings, supported by Thomas Burnap’s 71. Preston’s wickets were shared by Luke Marsden, James Doherty and Jake George, but Welwyn Garden City completed the chase with 6 wickets remaining.

Preston Second XI v Old Albanian CC

Preston Second XI were beaten by 36 runs against Old Albanian CC. Chasing 157, Preston were bowled out for 120 in 34.5 overs. Preston’s Second XI began the first innings brilliantly as Old Albanians were 65/7 as Preston star-veteran Mark Waters took 5/21 from 10 overs. Waters was supported by Bhavin Patel, who took 2/37 and Pushan Chakraborty, who finished on 2/11. However, OA’s skipper James Barwick batted brilliantly, scoring 42 runs, to get them to a respectable total. In the second innings, youngster Arundeep Natt top scored with 34, while Warren Hearne made 21, but Preston unfortunately could not build enough partnerships to threaten the target. Old Albanian’s bowling was led by Mathys Du Plessis, who took 4/10, with James Barwick taking 3/25 and Umar Mahmood finishing with 2/23. A disappointing loss for Preston, but they are sure to bounce back after a strong bowling performance this week.

Preston Third XI v Radlett CC

Preston Third XI secured an excellent 7-wicket win against Radlett CC. Chasing 131, Preston reached 131/3 in 25 overs. James Battersby led the chase superbly with an unbeaten 58, while Nick Staddon added 25 and Oliver Jackson made 19. Dushantha Godagandeni took all three wickets for Radlett, finishing with 3/16. Earlier, Radlett had been bowled out for 130 in 32 overs after winning the toss and electing to bat. Akhil Meda made 23 and Rahul Balivada added 21, but Preston’s bowlers stayed on top throughout. James Battersby completed an outstanding all-round performance with 5/18, while Muhammad Faleel took 3/13 and Oliver Clark finished with 2/30. Battersby’s runs and wickets were the defining contribution in a strong Third XI win.

Preston Fourth XI v Letchworth Garden City CC

Preston Fourth XI were beaten by 39 runs against Letchworth Garden City CC. Chasing 156, Preston finished on 116/6 from their 40 overs. Greig Hearne top scored with an unbeaten 31, while Iain Williamson made 25 and Parv Patel finished unbeaten on 12. Letchworth’s bowlers kept Preston under pressure, with A. Bhatnagar taking 3/10 and A. Burford finishing with 2/29. Earlier, Letchworth Garden City had made 155/7 from their 40 overs after winning the toss and electing to bat. P. Allen top scored with 30, while C. Philbey added 29 and K. Nowland finished unbeaten on 18.

Preston Sunday First XI v MK Warriors

Preston Sunday First XI were beaten by 136 runs against MK Warriors. Chasing 301, Preston were bowled out for 164 in 23.4 overs. Young Australian overseas James Doherty led the Preston batting with 70, but had little support around him as the chase fell away. Earlier, MK Warriors had made 300/8 from their 40 overs after winning the toss and electing to bat. Despite a disappointing fielding performance, Jacob Williamson was the pick of the Preston bowlers with 3/46, while Toby Williamson took 2/41. MK Warriors’ total was ultimately decisive, leaving Preston with too much to chase.