Weekend Round-Up – May 31 / June 1
Preston First X1 v Chorleywood CC
Preston 1st XI bounced back in style with a strong win over Chorleywood at The Recreation Ground. After winning the toss and electing to bat, the innings was anchored by overseas player Josh Wigginton, who struck a composed 68 off 74 balls, ably supported by Phil Simpson’s fluent 38 off 41. Preston posted a competitive total of 190 in 42.5 overs. Simpson then produced a sensational all-round performance, claiming 5 wickets for 54 runs in his 10-over spell, dismantling the Chorleywood middle order. Chorleywood were bowled out for 133 in 32.1 overs, handing Preston a solid 57-run win and 25 valuable points.
Preston Second X1 v Luton Town & Indians CC
The Preston 2nd XI travelled to face Luton Town & Indians and found themselves in a tough contest. Luton batted first and posted an imposing 221/3, thanks to a brilliant unbeaten 108 from Jessen Patel and a quickfire 60* from Haris Ali. Preston showed resilience, led by a gritty 50 from 14-year-old Oscar Dunham Welch and a stylish 52 from David Fleckney. Despite their efforts, the team was bowled out for 189 in 49 overs, falling 32 runs short.
Preston Third X1 v Boxmoor CC
A tough outing for Preston 3rd XI as they faced a dominant Boxmoor side away from home. After choosing to bat first, Preston struggled against tight bowling, particularly from Mahida who returned impressive figures of 4/10. The team was bowled out for 107 in 36.3 overs. Boxmoor chased down the total in just 19.4 overs, losing only 2 wickets, with Hobbs scoring a commanding 63 off 60 balls.
Preston Fourth X1 v Mill Hill Village CC
Preston 4s were involved in a high-scoring encounter but came out second best against Mill Hill Village CC. Mill Hill piled on 329/6 in their 40 overs after winning the toss, powered by hundreds from Mohammed Ayoubi (100 off 96) and Amir Sultan (136 off 100). Despite a spirited bowling performance from Oliver Clark, who took 3 wickets for 46 runs in just 5 overs, the target proved too steep. Veteran John Garnham led Preston’s reply with a valiant 70 from 108 balls, but they were bowled out for 165 in the 37th over.
Preston Sunday First X1 v Queens Park
Sunday’s fixture saw Preston chasing a modest target of 148 against QPCC. Overseas Josh Wigginton top scored with a brisk 37 off 33 balls, but regular wickets tumbled around him. Preston were eventually bowled out for 95, falling 52 runs short. Earlier, Amit Rajani and Oliver Gallimore both impressed with the ball, picking up 3 wickets each to restrict QPCC to 148. A frustrating day with the bat but positives with the ball for the Sunday 1s.
Some nail-biting games across our junior teams this week too. The U9s put in a spirited showing on Sunday evening against Letchworth Garden City CC, but despite their efforts, came up short by 49 runs after chasing a strong 127/3. The U12s followed up with a commanding performance of their own on Monday, comfortably chasing down 111 to win by 8 wickets in 17 overs—an excellent team effort with both bat and ball on display.
Another busy week is coming up.