Weekend Round-Up July 12/-3

Preston First XI v Hoddesdon CC
An important win for a new-look first team! Preston 1st XI were away to Hoddesdon CC. Preston won the toss and batted first, posting 266 despite being bowled out in 59.2 overs. Youngster Eden Scott, in his second game for Preston, scored a fantastic 47, and Jack Stevens hit a vital 81. Hoddesdon, in reply, were bowled out for 191 in 45.5 overs. This was due to the brilliance of Luke Marsden, who finished on 5/45 of his 17 overs to secure the win for Preston.

Preston Second XI v Hatfield Hyde CC
The Second XI lost on a hot day to Hatfield Hyde. Preston won the toss and batted first and were bowled out for 178. Highlights for Preston were Lewis Balcombe’s 36 and Peter Williamson’s 31, but Hatfield Hyde’s bowling attack were quality. In the second innings, Hatfield Hyde chased it down in 29 overs despite Ashley Catlin’s fighting 4/40. This was due to S.L. Fernando’s 37 and Scott Davie’s classy 43.  Tough loss, but Preston 2s look to bounce back in the next fixture.

Preston Third XI v Kings Langley CC
Preston 3rd XI faced Kings Langley CC in an away match. Preston batted first, posting 142 all out in 36.1 overs. Luke Ponder was the top scorer with 65 runs. Despite Preston’s low total, they bowled brilliantly, led by young-gun Arundeep Natt’s 3/13of his 8 overs, which helped bowl out Kings Langley for 111 and secure the victory in a low-scoring thriller!

Preston Fourth XI v Ickleford CC
What a win for the 4s! Preston 4th XI hosted Ickleford CC and batted first, posting 208/9 in 40 overs. Captain John Garnham led from the front and top-scored with 56 runs. However, it was Zabihullah Stanikzai’s all-around brilliance that was the difference. He helped his captain with the bat in the first innings, scoring a crucial 32, and his 4/15in the second innings secured the win for Preston, as Ickleford only scored 187/7 in their 40 overs.

Preston Sunday 1st XI v Eversholt CC
Preston Sunday 1st XI played Eversholt CC in one of the great high-scoring games on Sunday! Eversholt batted first and scored a mammoth 256 in their 40 overs. Preston’s chase was one for the ages as Josh Wigginton scored 140 of merely 84 balls, bombarding 26 boundaries in total. Wigginton was well accompanied by Luke Ponder who scored 39 of a breezy 41 balls. Preston chased it down with 7 overs to spare and saved them from relegation, for now.