PRESTON remain entrenched at the bottom of the league after another inept batting performance.

All out for 110, they watched Blackpool cruise to 111 for six.

They travel to Lune Road to play next-to-bottom club Lancaster and may have a chance if their batting fires on all cylinders. Lancaster has one of the weaker attacks in the league, so perhaps an elusive win is possible?

Put in to bat at West Cliff, they were beaten by four wickets by a spirited Blackpool outfit.

Preston lost their first player at 8 when Paul Man was caught behind by Pat Newell off Blackpool captain Rudra Singh for a single and two runs later Ben Harrison was dismissed in identical fashion for two.

Antony Mann and Zubaire Patel redressed the balance with a third wicket partnership of 42 runs, before Mann became Pat Newell's third victim off Blackpool professional Marcus Sharp for 25.

Preston slumped to 66-5 when Asif Bulkhari gave Pat Newell his fifth catch - this time off Karl Marsland for 11.

The inevitable batting collapse continued and top scorer Patel was eighth out with the score on 88, caught by Chris Cornall off leg-spinner Paul Danson for a solid 30.

There was a 16-runs partnership for the ninth wicket between 19-year-old Sam Ingleby and Roger Kaye, which brought up the 100 but Preston were dismissed for 110 on the penultimate ball of their innings when Iqbal Lilley was caught by Cornall off Danson for one. Sam Ingleby, who ran out of partners, was left undefeated with 14.

For Blackpool, Karl Marsland and Paul Danson took 3 for 15 and 3 for 27 respectively.

It wasn't a target that looked at all daunting. Blackpool lost opener Robin Bracewell, caught behind by Paul Mann off Iqbal Lilley for nine but Stephen Croft and Cornall took the score on to 32 before Cornall was stumped by Mann off Manoh Parekh for nine.

Four runs later Singh presented Mann with his third, dismissed off Parekh for four.

Croft and Gavin Armstrong took the score on to 46 before Armstrong was caught by Harrison off Parekh for six and Blackpool then lost their next two wickets with the score on 68.

It was beginning to look a little fraught for the Seasiders, but an unbroken seventh-wicket partnership of 43 between David Bartholomew and Newell saw Blackpool home to victory in the 45th over.

Preston captain and professional Parekh bowled half the overs to take 4-45 from 22.1 consecutive overs.

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