MVP: lWW

Team DPs: 114

PNE are rivals to 1 teams.

SEASON WHATEVER IT IS

PRESTON had an ok season with them improving as the season went on. We have worked to building a younger squad for the future along with some experienced highly skilled players. Hopefully finish higher this year in the top 5

Season 18

A top 3 finish last season... Can we do it again ?

Changes in the planning to make sure youth comes into the team as the old pensioners retire next season.

hopefull a cup run this season, as winning in the first year was amazing.

THE NEW SEASON

Well after a remarkable season and finishing so high in the league it will be can we keep the momentum up and finish in the top 6.

Building a younger generation to take us through a few seasons whilst hanging onto a couple of old guys to fill positions.

Great last season to win the cup and we can now aim to win the title to add to the trophy cabinet.

Well our first season in the league and we are excited.

The goal to grow the depth and SL of our T 11.

Why a name change... No idea what bridge was about !

Why Preston North End... Simple

my great uncle Joe MARSTON played for PNE , captained them and Australia.... So easy decision 

Season 17

The club's first season was about setting a foundation for the future.  Our older, high-level players were immediately sold off to other clubs: Thomas Cullen to GBR in part exchange for Michael Stipe, Les Patterson to NH, John Silk to BIB in part exchange for Otis Osowski.  We also released a couple of spromising youngsters whom we could not afford to train: Arnold George to ICT, Paul Roberts to DB.

Inevitably, we struggled on the field after these changes, and were pleasantly surprised to finish in 13th place in Division 2.  But in other respects, season 17 was a success for Oakingham.  We finished the season with a cash balance close to 4,000k and a squad of five youngsters (Barry Read, Martin Perry, Arnold Thompson, Jimmy Sluka and Di Bidmead), who will form the backbone of the club for the next few seasons.

Season 18

We aim to improve on our 12th place last season; we will be delighted if we are able to finish in the top half of division 2 and qualify for the McBride Cup.  Our bank balance is healthy, which should enable us to cover some weaknesses in our squad, but the main emphasis will continue to be on training our age 0, 1 and 2 players.  We welcome rookie signings Ian Adnams and Steve Barrow (sometimes generously called "the two geniuses") and Ron Lloyd, to whom nodoby has ever been quite so generous.

Season 19

Last season we managed to finish 7th in the division and qualify for the McBride Cup, which was our primary target.  This season we hope to be challenging for a promotion spot.  Once again we have a healthy bank balance and we continue with our youth policy,  New boys this season are Trevor Andrews, John Owen and Keith Sheppard.  Our post-draft stats are noticeably better than last season - our T17 is over 3 SL stronger.

Season 20

Season 19 had been a very successful one for Oakingham.  We started the season with a bang, winning all of our SFLSL group matches, and had a great league season, eventually finishing second and gaining automatic promotion to the top division.  Whether this has come too early remains to be seen but we have a decent squad - slightly stronger at the start of season 20 than it was at the start of season 19 - and a ludcrous cash balance which we will be looking to use wisely to boost our chances of survival in Division I.  A further challange will be the need to give experience to our rookie keeper Bruce Franklin as well as our other two draftees, Peter Parsons and Alex MacDonald.

Season 21

Season 20 was the first one for Oakingham in Division I.  Our first objective was to survive, and that we did comfortably, finishing 7th in the table and booking ourselves a place in the McBride Cup for the third season running.  We have improved season upon season and now we are looking for further improvements – a still higher league finish and better performances in both cups.  Being knocked out in the last 16 of both competitions was the only real disappointment in season 20.  The statistics look good for us – the T11 and T17 are both at their strongest yet and the average age of the squad is steady.  Whether we are yet strong enough to challenge for some silverware is doubtful but we have not peaked yet and thus far the strategy of building a balanced squad is taking us upwards.  It only remains to be seen quite far upwards we can go.   A slight concern is that the draft brought us three age 0 defenders – there is a possibility that this might give us some problems down the line.

Season 22

Season 21 had been Oakingham's second in Division I and we again finished in 7th place.  We achieved our best ever McBride Cup finish, reaching the quarter-finals, but our exit from the SFLSL Cup in the group stages was a disappointment.  Season 21 can best be described as one of consolidation.

As season 22 starts, we say goodbye to three players.  Oscar DelPrado joined us in Season 20 from Italian Stallions.  Though only with the club for two seasons, he has madea  significant impact, scoring 12 times in his 26 appearances.  We also bid farewell to two club stalwarts, Di Bidmead and Winnie Helps, who have been Trojans in our midfield for most of our history.  Bidmead has served us four 4 seasons, 120 appearances and 9,114 minutes, while Helpds has been with Oakingham for five seasons, 129 appearances and 9.353 minutes.  Both have admirable disciplinary records - they bath have only 28 DPs in their entire career.  The club and supporters offer thanks to both players.

Three newcomers arrive through the draft.  Up front, David Mercy is expected to offer steady support to Trevor Andrews and Max Branning and should become a threat to defences by the end of the season.  Victor Forsyth is an attacking midfielder with limited potential, but who will, we are sure, be a valuable squad member.  Finally, Tony Butcher joins our defence and will with last year's draftees, Tony Heyes and Ken Rowe, make a trio who will form the core of a stalwart defence for many seasons to come.

Oakingham's stats look slightly better than they were at the start of season 21.  Whether this will be a season when we can make a genuine challence for silverware remains to be seen.

Season 23

Season 22 provided a record finish for Oakingham – after finishing 7th for the last season the club rose to 4th place in the table, albeit a long way behind the top two.  As seems usual, the club disappointed in the cup, with two last 16 finishes. 

As season 22 starts, we say goodbye to two defenders.  Paul McGrath came to us in season 20 from Italian Stallions, already much travelled with three clubs before the Stallions.  He played 55 games for Oakingham but overall featured in 174 games and over 14,000 minutes of football.  In contrast Barry Read was a one-club player and a founder member of Oakingham Overbidders.  He was the lynchpin of our defence for 5 seasons, with 111 appearance and nearly 10,000 minutes of football and will forever be an Oakingham legend.

Three newcomers arrive through the draft.  Alan Brown plays little bridge these days but is an exciting new prospect between the posts for the Overbidders.  His appearances this season are likely to be sporadic but next season he can expect to take his place ahead of veteran Martin Perry when first choice Bruce Franklin is unavailable.  Paul Cohen and Ewart Davies are partners at the bridge table and join as age 0 players.  Cohen has the unenviable job of replacing Barry Read in defence, while Davies’ preferred position is on the wing.  He may initially make some appearances in midfield as we have a slight winger mountain at present.

Oakingham’s squad looks of a very similar standard to that of a season ago.  Given that we are unlikely to challenge for the league, concentrating on the cups may give the club its best chance of some silverware.

Season 24

Oakingham's performance went slightly backwards in season 23.  We dropped one place to 5th in Division I and performed disappointingly in the cups - exiting the SFLSL Cup in the last 16 and the McBride Cup in the group stage.

The draft, however, has given hope as four legendary Italian players join us.  Giorgio Belladonna, Pietro Forquet, Walter Avarelli and Benito Garozzo were four of the Italian Blue Team who dominated world bridge from 1957 to 1975, winning 16 world titles in that time.  If their football is half as good as their bridge we can expect to see Oakingham lift many trophies in the coming seasons.

Of course, we have to wave goodbye to some players as well.  Stefan Noesen was a squad player who joined Oakingham from Glasgow United and spent three seasons with the club, making 42 appearances and scoring 3 goals.  The other three have been one-club players.  Ron Lloyd retires after 6 seasons at the club, 120 appearances and 28 goals to his name.  Martin Perry has served even longer - 7 seasons between the posts - making 130 appearances and gaining 18 Man of the Match awards.  And finally, Jimmy Sluka departs after 7 seasons.  Sluka has made more appearances than any other player (166) and has scored a phenomenal 66 goals despite playing much of his football from midfield.  Even the Italian Blue Team may struggle to replace him.

I am a 62 year old kid who never grew up. And don't intend to for at least another thirty years. My life consists of playing games of all types. I have been running a play-by-mail (latterly play-by-email) football game for the last 36 years.

In between games I used to work as a database administrator until I retired a few years ago, and now work part-time in a hotel. I have been married for three decades, we have a daughter and a two-year-old grandson.

Favourite book: The God of Small Things; favourite film: the Bourne Identity; favourite album: Uriah Heep Live '73.