Preston North End secure first silverware of the season - on the cricket pitch!

Instead, Preston North End Cricket Club were the ones lifting a trophy, as they won the Challenge Cup in the Boddington’s Village Cricket League.

The team was originally set up in 2007 as a team for Preston North End and staff to get involved with cricket and their winning side on Monday had three former PNE players, a former coach, their player loans and pathways manager and their club secretary all in their XI.

In previous years, the side has boasted plenty of former players: Neil Mellor, Ian Bryson, Tommy Spurr, Andrew Lonergan, Chris Neal, Sean St Ledger, Jayden Stockley, Lewis Fensome, Lewis Leigh, Kian Taylor, Finlay Wallbank, Paul McKenna, Chris Humphrey, Alan Kelly and David Lucas

Oli Lombard, formerly a youth team goalkeeper with the Lilywhites, was the captain on the night, with Andy Fensome and Graeme Atkinson, both still working for PNE as a youth team coach and higher education and recruitment lead, making up the former players contingent on the day. Jack Cudworth, first-team development coach under Frankie McAvoy, was also a part of the XI, with James Beet and Ben Rhodes rounding off the half-dozen and past and present PNE staff on the day.

PNECC played against Preston Royals in the T20 final, with Royals opting to bat first and posting an impressive score of 144 off their 19.3 overs. Prasanth Arasavilli, Nilesh Desai and Ajay Tadi all stood out with the bat – all batsmen are forced to retire once they hit the 20 run mark – with 22 off 11 balls, 23 off 11 balls and 20 off eight balls respectively.

Lombard was the pick of the PNE bowlers as he opened, with one for 14 off his four overs. Wickets were shared around elsewhere, with Cudworth the only bowler to pick up two wickets as he bowled at the death.

Then came the run chase, with Atkinson and Ben Ward opening the batting for PNE. The former played 86 times for Preston but was stroking the ball around the pitch in Chipping with ease, coolly reaching 20 off just 12 balls. Ward also retired, as did Bobby Wood and Beet, with Lombard bowled going for a big shot two short of being made to retire out anyway.

Then came a lower order collapse as Royals wrestled back control of the game, with PNECC looking to be in a relatively comfortable position and ahead of the rate.

Ian Bashall’s 18 was a useful counter-attack but it all came down to the last over. Three wickets from Benjamin Suretkar had helped keep his side in it, taking victims for just two, six and zero runs.

Maji Rajdeep was tasked with bowling the all-important final over. It all started very well, taking the wicket of no.10 batsman Stefan Detko meaning only no.11 Tom Sandells and Bashall remained.

Sandells’ right foot did enough in his first delivery, allowing Bashall to regain the strike from a leg bye. Two to win, two balls remaining. But Rajdeep kept his cool and bowled the wicketkeeper. PNE 10 down, but last man stands, and the Royals needed one more wicket. PNE still needed two runs to win and had one ball to get them.

The Royals took their time in placing their field, making the batsman wait. But as the final delivery came in, it was wayward and down the leg side, gloved down to the boundary, though the umpires signalled byes. With fine leg up the ball rolled comfortably to the rope, sparking jubilant scenes from the PNE dressing room.

A contest worthy of the final, it was PNECC’s second success in the competition, having previously won it in 2017, beating the holders of the cup this time out.