Letchworth Garden City rounded out the Herts Cricket League Championship season with a resounding 78-run victory over Langleybury on Saturday.

Such a comprehensive win had looked unlikely when they were reduced to 32-4 batting first but a composed 59 from skipper Tim Graham and an unbeaten 63 for the final wicket between Praveen Bhatti (58*) and debutant Richard Simpson (38*) got them to an imposing 226-9.

And in replay Langleybury never got close, eventually all out for 148 in the penultimate over.

Tim Graham took 4-22 while there were two wickets for Jonny Harris.

It meant Letchworth finished fourth, two places above Preston who lost to Flitwick.

Preston made a decent 212-4 in their 45 overs, with half centuries for twin brothers James and Jack Stevens but the visitors overtook that total for the loss of six wickets, thanks to a hard hitting 88 not out from Joshua Malkani and 62 from David Powles.

Tim Collins and Max Anderson shared five wickets between them for Preston.

Hitchin’s director of cricket Sam Rippington believes the campaign has been a positive one for the whole club.

He said: “At the beginning of the season we made a real effort to shift the training culture at the club and make a concerted effort to work with the talented juniors so they could succeed at adult cricket.

“The results, in recent weeks in particular, show that effort is really starting to bear fruit and we can look forward with huge optimism to next season.”

The firsts finished with a resounding victory over Broxbourne in Division One, U17 Elliott Beard scoring 64 not out and U18 Musa Ilyas taking 5-38, while the ladies fell just short in their Home Counties League Final against Henley.

Ickleford lost by 93 runs to Old Albanians. Luke Marsden finished 3-38 while club stalwart Tom Reilly scored 34.

Datchworth’s season came to a close with a 40-run success at home to North Enfield, a result which left them second in Division Three A.

Baldock lost a very tight game at Hertingfordbury, the hosts getting the win with two balls to spare.

Max Cooley top scored with 37 while Adam Hewitt took 4-24.

Knebworth Park’s last game was cancelled.