Weekend Roundup Aug 9/10
PRESTON CC 1ST XI VS BROXBOURNE CC
Preston won the toss and batted first at home against Broxbourne in a timed game. Despite the loss of captain and opener Ed Wharton early on in the innings, Jack Morecroft (47 of 87 balls) and Josh Wigginton (44 of 29 balls) rebuilt the innings well. After they got out, Daniel Plumb (44* of 74 balls) and Omar Faleel (56* of 79 balls) helped finish on 220/7 of their 60 overs. In reply, Broxbourne started their innings very strongly with both openers, Jack Plumb (63 of 103 balls) and James Logan (62 of 104 balls) reaching 50 runs. However, after they fell to the Preston spinning duo of Jack Stevens and Ariful Islam, Luke Marsden led the fight-back, taking 4/46 of his 15 overs. Unfortunately, it was too late as Chris Sargent and Niall Robinson took Broxbourne home and snatched the win from Preston.
PRESTON CC 2ND XI VS STEVENAGE CC
The 2nd XI won the toss and elected to bat, away at Stevenage on a tricky wicket. Opening batsman Warren Hearne capitalised on his good form, scoring his second 50 in 3 weeks and finishing on 61. Ben Hill (32 runs), Pumpkin Williamson (26 runs) and young gun Rishabh Srinivasan (23 runs) all chipped in and helped Preston finish on 192 of their 50 overs. In response, Preston had Stevenage 8/2 with both of their openers gone for ducks. However, M Morris (52 runs) and A Joshan (62* runs) took the game away from Preston. An unfortunate loss after a great win last week for Preston 2nd XI, they look to bounce back next week and build momentum towards the back-end of the season.
PRESTON CC 3RD XI V LUTON TOWN & INDIANS CC
Preston were away at Luton, where they lost the toss and were told to bowl. Luton Town & Indians finished on a competitive 197/9 of their 40 overs with Naqeeb Ur Rahman (51 of 71 balls) and Gurvinder Singh (50 of 58 balls) batting really well. Nonetheless, Preston’s Srini Nanjudan was extremely effective with the ball, taking 4/31 of his 8 overs. The second innings was unfortunate for Preston as they were bowled out for 71, which was largely due to Waqar Ali’s 4/15 in his 8 overs. A heavy defeat for the third team, they will look to rebuild and save their season.
PRESTON 4TH XI VS LETCHWORTH GARDEN CITY CC
A resounding victory for the most in-form Preston side this season! The 4s win the toss and bat first, scoring 218/7 of their 40 overs. Preston’s Craig Tennant and Tom Else were the stars of the first innings. Opening batsman Tennant scored 88 not out, he was solid as a rock on a tough wicket. The evergreen Tom Else scored a very pretty 40 runs. In reply, the 4s bowled out Letchworth for 92! Highlights were Arpit Shah and Oliver Clark’s miserly bowling. Shah bowled 4 overs and conceded only 9 runs while taking 2 wickets. Young gun Oliver Clark’s stellar season continues, taking 1 wicket of his 5 overs, conceding only 6 runs and bowling 3 maidens. The 4s have been rock-solid this season, sitting pretty in 3rd place in HCL Division 12.
PRESTON CC SUNDAY 1ST XI VS LUTONIAN CC
Lutonians won the toss and elected to field as Preston put on a strong score of 234/7 in their 40 overs. Key highlights were Josh Wigginton’s 48, Omar Faleel’s 55 and Will Mercer’s gritty 58*. Faleel was a star this weekend, scoring 50s on both Saturday and Sunday, which is a great achievement for him as he continues to work very hard on his batting. The second innings was pure cinema. Preston’s star player and youngster, Dillon Beattie and Oliver Gallimore, combined to make a fiery opening spell that the Lutonian top order fell victim to. Beattie’s figures were 2/23 of his 5 overs, and Gallimore’s 1/35 of his 8 overs gave Preston a great start. However, Lutonian’s Danial Haider (69 runs) fought hard along with Shamas Kham (30 runs), Rayyan Hussain (39 runs) and Harmain Asif (39 runs). Lutonians were cruising, needing 15 runs of 18 balls. Then Preston fought back. Wigginton took 6 crucial catches, 5 of which were off Saturday 1s star-man Ariful Islam’s bowling. Islam bowled like a dream, finishing on 5/46 of his 8 overs. Preston finished the game in the last over due to a Omar Faleel run out, Preston bowling out Lutonians for 229 and winning by 5 runs. Faleel’s run-out was the icing on the cake in Preston’s stellar fielding display, reflecting how important fielding is in building a strong and successful team.