HALF centuries from Ryan Shepherd and Gary Baker formed the bedrock of Kendal’s total before Nick Lewthwaite starred with the ball as the Shap Road club dispatched Preston at West Cliff.

After losing Graham Baker, Jamie How and Darren Moore early, Ryan Shepherd set about rebuilding the innings with Terry Hunte and then Gary Baker as Kendal posted 198-9.

In reply, Yasin Patel top scored with 32 as struggling Preston stuttered to 92 all out with Lewthwaite picking up five wickets in a comprehensive 106-run victory.

After being invited to bat, Kendal made an indifferent start as Graham Baker was trapped in front by Afzal Kapadia without scoring in the fourth over.

Worse was to follow next over as New Zealand professional How top-edged right-arm seamer Andrew Starkie to Yasin Boda at backward point for one.

And by the end of the eighth over Kendal were struggling at 13-3 as opener Moore was clean bowled by Kapadia – who finished with 2-32 – for four.

Hunte carried the fight to the Preston bowlers, lofting Starkie for four over mid-wicket before smashing a straight six off the same bowler.

The veteran batsman guided a number of boundaries to third man before a further huge maximum brought up the Kendal fifty in the 17th over.

The right-arm spin of Preston skipper Saeed Bariwala accounted for Hunte while on 38, which united Shepherd and Gary Baker at the crease.

The duo began laying the Kendal foundations, picking off the singles initially before adding 93 for the fifth wicket and batting Kendal into a position of strength.

Shepherd’s cover drive to the boundary rope saw Kendal to three figures in the 33rd over and while the former Burneside batsman was the more aggressive, Gary Baker more than played his part.

Shortly after reaching his half century, a direct hit from Miya Ahmed Lunat saw Shepherd return to the pavilion, with Kendal 153-5 at the end of the 44th over.

A single off Starkie saw Gary Baker to his fifty as the visitors lost a host of wickets in the latter stages in a bid to add quick runs.

Darren Braithwaite fell cheaply before Gary Baker holed out to Boda off Starkie for a top score of 56, with late impetus provided by Adam Cowperthwaite and Stu Parkin.

Chris Miller fell without scoring before Cowperthwaite became Bariwala’s fourth victim as Parkin plundered 16 runs from the final four balls with some lusty blows over mid-wicket.

With an unlikely victory target of 199, the Preston reply started in solid fashion before How produced an impressive piece of fielding at mid-off to run out Sajid Patel for nine.

After hitting successive boundaries, Boda saw a sharp caught and bowled chance snaffled one-handed by Parkin with Preston 29-2 after 12 overs.

Opener Jibran Khan played on to give Parkin his second wicket as Kendal began to make regular inroads and plot their victory course.

Lewthwaite trapped Soyeb Dukanwala in front for three before Bariwala was caught behind by Gary Baker off the in-form Parkin for19, with the Kendal skipper finishing with 3-35.

Lunat was Lewthwaite’s second victim as off-spinner Miller joined the party and claimed his sole wicket of the innings, trapping Mohmedrafik Patel in front without scoring.

At 72-7 in the 32nd over, Preston were starring down the barrel of defeat as Lewthwaite removed Kapadia LBW before wrapping up a comfortable Kendal win with the wickets of Paul Masterton and Yasin Patel.