ESME IRWIN PREMIER LEAGUE ROUND-UP:
In the top-flight of the Middlesex Women’s domestic structure - the Esme Irwin Premier League, Ickenham finished as Champions, winning seven of their twelve games across the season.
Having finished bottom of the Premier League in 2023, Ickenham were a different outfit this time round, losing just four matches all summer, beating last year’s winners Actonians to the title, securing the league by a margin of sixty four points.
Ickenham’s reward for winning the Esme Irwin League is the right to represent Middlesex against the Premier League title winners from Essex, Kent, Surrey and Sussex, to compete for the title of Southern Counties Champions.
Joining Middlesex winners Ickenham as their respective county Premier League winners were Colchester from Essex, The Mote from Kent, Richmond from Surrey and Hailsham from Sussex.
The five sides would be whittled down to three, who will go on to compete in Finals Day on Sunday 15th September at Hailsham in Sussex, who automatically qualify for Finals Day as this year’s hosts.
Two of the other four sides, including Ickenham, would need to get there via a play-off match, with Ickenham drawn against Richmond, and Colchester paired with the Mote.
Ickenham came through their play-off clash with Richmond, beating their neighbours by six wickets to make it through to Finals Day, whilst The Mote ran out winners against Colchester by 10 wickets.
Finals Day will therefore see Ickenham take on both Hailsham and The Mote in a round robin competition next Sunday, and we wish them every success in their quest to become the Southern Counties Women’s Champions.
SHEILA HILL LEAGUE ROUND-UP:
Gunnersbury Women’s Second Eleven ran out winners of the Second-Tier competition, comprehensively claiming the league title ahead of runners-up Ealing, who trailed by 94 points after fifteen matches.
Much like the Gunnersbury First Eleven, who tasted success in the ECB’s National Women’s Club Cup competition, beating Dorridge from Warwickshire in the final to become the only Club to lift the trophy for a third time, the Second Eleven also enjoyed plenty of success.
Gunnersbury were the dominant force all summer, winning all twelve of the matches they played, with two games abandoned and one conceded, to finish their league campaign unbeaten.
It was a stellar year for the Sheila Hill League winners, who got revenge on Ealing, pipping them to this year’s title after the roles were reversed in 2023 when Ealing took the honours.
DERICK MORGAN LEAGUE ROUND-UP:
The third tier of Women’s cricket in Middlesex constitutes the Derick Morgan league, which this saw a change in its structure. The League is now made up of eight teams from across the county, as opposed to the two regional divisions of five teams we’ve seen previously.
This year’s Derick Morgan League was won by Harrow Cricket Club, who went one better than last year, when they finished as runners up in the Central West League.
Whilst Harrow were declared the league winners, with a record of five wins from their seven games, beating Ickenham Seconds to the title, the Derick Morgan League has an annual ‘Finals Day’, held last weekend at Ickenham CC, which saw all eight sides competing in a celebration of the league.
First up was the 7th vs 8th place match, which saw Stoke Newington run out winners against Crouch End. Then Wembley were declared the winners of the 5th vs 6th place match with Chiswick conceding the game. Up next, we saw Shepherd’s Bush beat Hampstead in the 3rd vs 4th place match, before the final got underway, as League winners Harrow took on runners-up Ickenham.
Harrow won the toss and elected to field first, sticking Ickenham into bat, which proved to be an inspired decision as Ickenham were bowled out by Harrow in just 14.4 overs for only 63.
In reply, Harrow knocked off the runs with comparative ease, getting over the line five wickets down in the fifteenth over to claim the win.
Former Middlesex and England cricketer, Beth Morgan, whose father the league is named in memory of, was on the day to present Harrow with their trophy on what was a memorable day for all involved in women’s cricket in the county.
GIRLS REGIONAL COMPETITIONS:
In the Under 11s, Under 13s and Under 15s competitions, the winning Girls sides from each of the five southern counties’ hard-ball competitions progressed into the Southern Counties Regional competition, where the best side in Middlesex in each respective age group would go on to play the best sides from Essex, Kent, Surrey and Sussex to determine the overall Southern Counties Regional winners.
In the Under 11s Girls competition, we saw Middlesex represented by Ealing, Essex by Kelvedon and Feering, Kent by Bexley, Surrey by Sunbury and Sussex by Horsham.
After a round-robin tournament had been played, in which each of the five sides play all four of their Under 11s opponents, both Ealing and Bexley were tied at the top of the table, having lost only one of their four matches.
Bexley were crowned champions however, by virtue of them having the better head-to-head record, as they had got the better of the encounter between the two sides when they met, with Bexley inflicting Ealing’s only defeat upon them, whilst Bexley’s only defeat came at the hands of Sunbury.
Whilst Ealing missed out on honours in the league, they were successful in the Middlesex Under 11s Cup, beating Canons Cricket Club in the final, restricting their opponents to just 59 for 7 in their 20 overs, before chasing it down for the loss of just one wicket in the eleventh over.
Congratulations to Ealing on a successful Cup campaign and on finishing joint top of the Southern Counties Regional table.
In the Under 13s Girls competition, only three of the five sides could progress to a Finals Day, with two play-off matches scheduled to determine who would be progress.
First up it was Essex champions, Wanstead & Snaresbrook against Middlesex Champions, Highgate, which Highgate won convincingly by 6 wickets to progress to Finals Day.
The other play-off between Penhurst Park of Kent and Banstead of Surrey was won by Penhurst Park who joined Highgate, and Horsham of Sussex at Finals Day, hosted by Horsham.
The completion of the Finals Day round-robin competition saw Highgate come out on top, winning both of their games, against Penhurst Park by 4 wickets, and Horsham by five wickets, to lift the regional trophy.
Congratulations to Highgate on their title win.
The format of the Under 15s Girls competition mirrored that of the Under 13s, with two play-offs scheduled to establish the three sides playing at Finals Day.
Billericay from Essex got the better of Highgate in the first play-off, whilst Bexley or Kent went down to Dulwich of Surrey.
Finals Day saw Dulwich triumph, beating Billericay by five wickets in the Final to lift the trophy.
Congratulations to each and every Club in Middlesex for giving their all this year and well done to all those Clubs who enjoyed success over the course of the season.
