Weekend Round-Up June 14/15
Preston First XI v Old Owens CC
Preston 1s travelled to Old Owens and elected to field first. The hosts piled on 314 for 4 in 56 overs, led by centuries from Nairn Guilbert with 124 not out and Ben Wells with 122. In reply, Preston fought hard with Edward Wharton scoring 82, Jake George 56, and Josh Wiggington 36, but were bowled out for 264 in 56.4 overs. Ed Gaeton’s 5 for 64 sealed a 50-run win for Old Owens.
Preston Second XI v Northampton Exiles CC
Preston 2s pulled off a stunning 1-wicket win in a tense chase at Clowes Sports Ground. After choosing to field first, they bowled out Northampton Exiles for 150 in 40.5 overs, thanks to a disciplined team effort. All five Preston bowlers picked up two wickets each, with Oliver Gallimore particularly economical at 2/21 from 10 overs. Chasing 151, Preston’s innings saw a few wobbles, but Chris Williamson’s calm and composed 45 laid the foundation before Ashley Catlin’s unbeaten 29 steered Preston over the line in the 50th over, earning them 30 valuable points.
Preston Third XI v Hemel Hempstead Town CC
Preston 3s faced Hemel Hempstead Town 4th XI in a tough fixture. Hemel Hempstead batted first and put on a solid 238/6 in 40 overs despite Ariful Islam’s 3/58 and Iai Purton’s 2/33. Preston’s reply saw them finish on 176/9 in their full quota of overs, falling short by 62 runs. Amit Rajani’s counter-attacking 64 and Oliver Jackson’s steady 33 gave Preston hope, but Hemel’s first innings total was too steep. Nevertheless, Preston took 13 points from the loss.
Preston Fourth XI v Datchworth CC
Preston 4s bounced back with a solid win over Datchworth 3s at home. After being put in to bat, Preston posted 191/4 in their 40 overs, built around opening contributions from Daniel Phillips (49) and Craig Tennant (45), and anchored by Greig Hearne’s unbeaten 36. In response, Datchworth were bowled out for 165 in 39.3 overs, with Kevin Gala starring with the ball, taking 3/30 in his 8-over spell. Preston secured a 26-run victory and 30 points.
Preston Sunday 1st XI v Stony Stratford CC
Preston batted first away at Stony Stratford and were bowled out for 151 in 30.5 overs. Ariful Islam top scored with 30, supported by Edward Wharton with 28 and Josh Wiggington’s brisk 23. Jake Vickers starred with the ball for the hosts, taking 4 for 20. In reply, Stony chased down the target comfortably, reaching 157 for 3 in 29 overs. Ben Arnold anchored the innings with 53 not out, and Hayden Smith added 32 not out to seal a 7-wicket win.
Furthermore, the Preston Womens XI defeated Hitchin in an exciting game on Friday. Our thanks to Hitchin CC.
Some great action across our junior teams and ladies’ team this week! The U12s were involved in a close contest against Hitchin, narrowly losing by 5 wickets despite a solid effort with the bat. The U9s faced a strong Reed CC side and fell short by 97 runs, but plenty of positives to take from a spirited performance. Meanwhile, Preston U10s had a fantastic outing against Letchworth, securing a dominant 93-run win with a strong all-round display. And the U13Bs capped off the week with a commanding 66-run win over Sawbridgeworth, showing great depth and control throughout. Well done to all our juniors!