Hoddesdon Cricket Club’s First XI return to Lowfield this Saturday for an important Championship Division contest against Preston CC, Herts, with both teams determined to arrest difficult recent runs and rediscover the winning feeling. The 11am start brings together seventh and tenth in the table, but Preston’s position at the foot of the division will not tempt Hoddesdon into complacency after the visitors produced a remarkable run chase when the sides met earlier in the season.

Rob Walters returns from his holiday in Portugal to resume the captaincy, providing an immediate lift to a side which has missed his enormous influence with both bat and ball. Walters has been Hoddesdon’s leading run-scorer this season, including three centuries and a highest score of 158, and his presence at the top of the order restores one of the most prolific batters in the Championship Division.

“It is good to be back and I am really looking forward to Saturday,” said Walters. “Watching from a distance last weekend was frustrating because you always want to be out there helping the lads, but there were still plenty of positives in the bowling performance. We know Preston are far better than their league position suggests, and we certainly do not need reminding of what happened when we played them in May.”

Rob Walters Returns This Saturday To Lead The Side

That first encounter took place at Preston’s Recreation Ground on May 30 and produced one of the most extraordinary games of Hoddesdon’s season. Walters struck a magnificent 124 as Hoddesdon amassed 319 for five from their 50 overs, a total which would ordinarily be expected to secure victory in most Championship Division matches. Instead, Preston completed a thrilling chase, reaching 322 for eight in 48.4 overs to win by two wickets and collect 25 points. Hoddesdon still returned with 12 points after securing seven batting and five bowling bonuses, but the result remains a clear reminder of Preston’s attacking potential. James Doherty was the central figure in that chase, producing a superb unbeaten 152 and sharing a 140-run third-wicket partnership with Joshua Wigginton. Himesh Ramanayake took three wickets for Hoddesdon, but Preston held their nerve during the closing stages to record a memorable victory.

Preston Won The Last Meeting By Two Wickets

“We played some very good cricket that day, particularly with the bat, but 319 proved not to be enough,” Walters added. “Doherty played an outstanding innings and Wigginton supported him brilliantly, so we know exactly where their main threats are. The challenge this time is to create pressure for longer and make sure that when opportunities arrive, we take them.”

Hoddesdon begin the weekend seventh in the Championship Division with 176 points from 12 matches. Their record currently reads four victories, five defeats, two losing draws and one cancelled fixture, with 38 batting bonus points and 28 bowling points illustrating that the side has continued to produce competitive passages even when results have gone against them. Preston occupy tenth place with 114 points, having won only twice and lost eight of their 12 completed matches. They are nine points behind Hemel Hempstead Town and 24 adrift of Redbourn, while Hoddesdon sit 21 points behind sixth-placed Dunstable Town and 30 behind the group of Luton Town & Indians and Shenley Village. North Mymms remain well clear at the summit with 292 points, followed by Sawbridgeworth on 247. Welwyn Garden City sit third on 207, one point ahead of both Luton Town & Indians and Shenley, meaning the division remains tightly packed beneath the leading pair. For Hoddesdon, victory would provide breathing room above the bottom three while also offering an opportunity to begin climbing back towards the crowded middle section. Preston, however, will view the fixture as a chance to close the gap and complete a league double over their hosts.

The Championship Division

Hoddesdon’s recent schedule has been demanding, with matches against several of the division’s strongest teams. They were beaten by four wickets after posting 278 for eight against leaders North Mymms, then suffered a heartbreaking one-wicket defeat to Redbourn despite taking nine wickets in defence of 249. A draw at Dunstable followed, with Hoddesdon reaching 225 for six after bowling their hosts out for 271. Last weekend brought a 41-run defeat against second-placed Sawbridgeworth, although the bowling attack again gave the side a genuine opportunity by dismissing the visitors for 173. Himesh claimed four wickets in that contest, while returning veteran Martin Brown collected three from an excellent 20-over spell. Hoddesdon’s reply was undermined by regular wickets, although James Mitchell Jr’s determined 57 and Gagan Dissanayake’s 25 demonstrated the resistance available within the order.

Preston arrive following five consecutive league defeats and suffered a particularly difficult afternoon last Saturday. They were dismissed for only 83 before Dunstable completed a seven-wicket victory in ten overs, leaving Preston with a solitary point from the fixture. Their previous results included a three-wicket defeat at Redbourn after making 266 for eight, a 181-run loss against North Mymms and an eight-wicket reverse against Shenley Village. Those results explain their position at the bottom, but the 266 posted at Redbourn also showed that Preston retain the ability to build substantial totals.

Preston's Recent Results

Head of Cricket Louis Purves believes Hoddesdon must concentrate on their own standards rather than Preston’s recent sequence. “The table and form guide can sometimes be misleading, because we have already seen Preston’s quality first-hand this season,” he said. “They chased 320 against us, and any team capable of doing that deserves complete respect.”

“We have bowled well in patches over recent weeks and there are plenty of good cricketers in this side,” Purves continued. “What we need now is to put the disciplines together across the entire match. Rob returning is obviously a major boost, and the players should be excited by the opportunity to perform at Lowfield.”

Doherty remains Preston’s outstanding statistical performer with the bat. He has accumulated 697 runs from 14 innings at an average of 58.08, passing 100 three times and reaching another two half-centuries, while his unbeaten 152 against Hoddesdon remains his highest score. Edward Wharton is their second-leading run-scorer with 479 runs, including a century and three fifties. His strike rate of 103.93 highlights his ability to alter the tempo quickly, while Wigginton has made 329 runs and registered a highest score of 114. Wharton is equally significant with the ball and leads Preston’s attack with 23 wickets at an average of 21.78. His economy rate of 4.23 and best figures of four for 16 underline the control and wicket-taking threat he offers, while Luke Marsden and Doherty have each taken 13 wickets.

Preston’s biggest partnerships this season include the 140 shared by Doherty and Wigginton against Hoddesdon. Wigginton and Wharton have also combined for 133, while Jake George and Wharton put on 129 against Redbourn, giving Walters several combinations to consider when setting his fields.

Preston CC, Herts 1st XI

Walters’ comeback brings leadership, runs and an additional bowling option, but Hoddesdon remain without spinner Harry Mason. Mason is still sidelined by a long-term injury after taking 19 wickets earlier in the campaign, and his control and ability to attack throughout long spells continue to be missed. Will Steward is also unavailable because he is moving house, having captained and kept wicket against Sawbridgeworth last weekend. Gagan Dissanayake will therefore take the gloves, a role he has already performed for the First XI this season.

Hoddesdon’s selected side is: Rob Walters, Usmaan Shafi, James Curtis, James Mitchell Jr, Himesh Ramanayake, Rob Jones, Andrew Lewis, Gagan Dissanayake, Johnny Munday, Om Thakeria and Charlie Tackley. The return of Walters should strengthen a batting line-up that also includes Shafi, Curtis, Mitchell, Himesh and Jones. Andrew Lewis offers further experience through the middle order, while Munday, Dissanayake and the lower order will be determined to make meaningful contributions should the innings require rebuilding or acceleration.

Andrew Lewis

Himesh continues to be one of Hoddesdon’s most dependable all-round performers and owns the club’s best bowling economy rate for the season at 3.77. Curtis has recorded the leading individual figures of five for 69, while Walters’ return also supplies a bowler capable of delivering lengthy, economical spells.

“Yes, recent results have been disappointing,” Walters said. “However, the attitude has remained good and we have continued to create winning positions. Saturday is about converting those periods into a complete performance and being brave enough to take responsibility.”

Conditions are expected to be warm without reaching the extreme temperatures experienced earlier in the summer. Forecasts suggest the temperature will settle somewhere in the mid-to-high twenties, making hydration, concentration and careful management of bowling spells important throughout another full day of timed cricket. The action begins at 11am, and supporters are encouraged to arrive early and back the side from the opening ball. With two teams hungry for victory and Preston possessing clear individual quality despite their league position, the contest promises to carry greater intrigue than a simple glance at the table might suggest.

The day will not finish with the final delivery, as Hoddesdon Cricket Club hosts its Race Night at Lowfield from 7.30pm. Players, supporters, families and spectators are invited to remain at the clubhouse and enjoy what promises to be a lively social evening after the cricket.

The Club's Annual Race Night Will Take Place After The Game

“Lowfield is always at its best when there is plenty happening around the club,” Purves concluded. “We would love a strong crowd for the First XI and then a packed clubhouse for the Race Night. It is a chance to support the players, enjoy the cricket and finish the evening together as a club.”

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