Preston First XI v Shenley Village CC

Preston First XI were beaten by 8 wickets against Shenley Village CC. Preston won the toss and elected to bat, but were bowled out for 135 in 33.3 overs. James Doherty led the Preston batting with 44 from 34 balls, while Jack Stevens added 32 in the middle order. Edward Wharton and Joshua Wigginton both made 14, but Preston struggled to build a major partnership. Shenley’s attack was led by Matt Stear, who took an excellent 6/28 from 11.3 overs, while Droo Pathak finished with 4/37. In reply, Shenley reached 137/2 in 22.5 overs. Seamus Meaker’s powerful 88 from 49 balls was the decisive innings, supported by Morgan Stanley’s unbeaten 36. Luke Marsden and Omar Faleel took one wicket each for Preston, but Shenley completed the chase comfortably.

Preston Second XI v Flamstead CC

Preston Second XI were beaten by 96 runs against Flamstead CC. Chasing 229, Preston were bowled out for 132 in 35.2 overs. Ariful Islam top scored with 19, while Tom Murrell finished unbeaten on 16, Ashley Catlin made 15 and David Fleckney added 13. Preston unfortunately could not build a decisive partnership. Flamstead’s bowlers kept control throughout, with H. De Silva taking 3/28, M. Liyanage finishing with 3/19 and R. Pupulewatte taking 2/14. Earlier, Flamstead had posted 228 all out in 49.1 overs after winning the toss and electing to bat. U. Weli led the innings with 62, supported by H. De Silva’s 42 and S. Rodrigo’s 21. Preston fought back through Ashley Catlin’s 3/26 and Joey Kelsall’s 3/31, while Tom Murrell also took 2/67, but Flamstead’s total proved far too strong.

Preston Third XI v Abbots Langley CC

Preston Third XI were beaten by 4 wickets against Abbots Langley CC. Abbots Langley won the toss and elected to field, with Preston finishing on 133/8 from their 40 overs. Abbots Langley’s attack was led by Andrew Rueth, who took 5/31, while Jason Phillipson, Alex Carter and Daniel Gurney all took one wicket each. In reply, Abbots Langley reached 134/6 in 38.2 overs. Deen Burrows top scored with 38, while Craig Gumsley finished unbeaten on 35 and Jonathan Cox added 28. Preston stayed in the contest through Amit Rajani’s 2/37 and Andrew Riant’s 2/16, with Iain Purton and Srini Nanjundan also taking one wicket each, but Abbots Langley got over the line with 4 wickets remaining.

Preston Fourth XI v Hitchin CC

Preston Fourth XI were beaten by 2 wickets against Hitchin CC. Preston won the toss and elected to bat, posting 198/7 from their 40 overs. Craig Tennant top scored with 47, while Andrew Hedges made 39 and Kevin Brett and Harry Brett both added 25. Tom Harris also contributed 20 as Preston set a competitive total. Hitchin’s bowling was led by Harry Seale, who took 2/35, and Rupert Hobson, who finished with 2/32. In reply, Hitchin reached 199/8 in 38.1 overs. Kezia Hassall made 44 and James Mason added 30, before Harry Seale finished unbeaten on 23 to guide the chase home. Preston fought hard with the ball, as Parv Patel took 2/46, Sataarj Kohli finished with 2/43 and Harry Brett took 2/14, but Hitchin edged home with 2 wickets in hand.

Preston Sunday 1st XI v Dunstable Town CC

Preston Sunday 1st XI were beaten by 2 wickets against Dunstable Town CC. Preston won the toss and elected to bat, before being bowled out for 212 in 37.1 overs. James Doherty gave Preston a fast start with 41 from 20 balls, while Joey Kelsall added a patient 37 and Will Mercer struck 35 from 23 balls late in the innings. Ariful Islam finished unbeaten on 13, but Preston were bowled out with just under three overs unused. Dunstable’s attack shared the wickets well, with Ali Asad taking 3/39 and Alec Baldwin finishing with 3/35, while Submon Amin and Jerone Fernando both took 2 wickets each. In reply, Dunstable reached 213/8 in 35.3 overs. Paras Keshav led the chase with 77, supported by Robbie Coe’s 57, before Ben Adamson’s unbeaten 17 helped Dunstable over the line. Preston fought hard through Will Mercer’s excellent 4/30 and Ariful Islam’s 3/37, but Dunstable held on to win by 2 wickets.

Preston Sunday 2 v Pirton CC

Preston’s Sunday 2’s fielding a mixed side from right across the club for the very first time with players representing the men’s seniors, women’s and junior sections of the club. Preston posted 169/6 but were beaten as Pirton CC made 170/5 in the 40 overs. Far more important than the result was the fact that it was an excellent occasion to bring players from across the club, together. An excellent game of cricket for many of the Preston team it was their first senior game. Thank you Pirton for hosting.