Finals day of the MITC Indoor Cricket Competition saw North London Muslims Cricket Club take the spoils, after a month of exhilarating indoor cricket. Blowing away their opponents with raw pace, big hitting and smart tactics, they will represent Middlesex in the Indoor Regional Finals in Sussex next month.
The format of the finals day meant that the six group winners competed in two quarter-finals groups, with each team playing each other once, and the top two teams from each group progressing to the semi-finals.
Quarter Final Group One
North London Muslims, Hampstead and Highgate battled it out in Group One to secure a spot in the semi-finals. In the first fixture, Hampstead narrowly edged past Highgate by 15 runs, where a brutal knocks from Subhan Malik (29* off 19), Rafay Ahmed (34* off 13) and Mohammed Zaheer (28* off 10) proved too much for Highgate to chase down.
Highgate needing a win to have a chance of progressing, batted first against North London Muslims. Tight bowling and regular wickets falling had Highgate looking at a low score, until MITC’s very own Tommy Pegler scored 43 off 21 balls, taking Highgate to a total of 107. The run chase could not have got off to a better start, as the North London Muslims punished Highgate with well placed shots and brutal hitting. Imran Mulla (25* off 13) and Altaf Hasna (25 off 10) supported a comfortable run chase, with only one wicket lost and 16 balls remaining.
The final match determined who would top the group, and with Hampstead put in to bat by North London Muslims, Rafay Ahmed continued his fine form from the first match (29* off 11). Hampstead finished on a very respectable 112 from their 10 overs, leaving the match finely poised. Two wickets for Ahmed, and some sharp catching left North London Muslims needing 41 from 28 with only one wicket remaining. That task was made to look simple by the Last Man Standing, Altaf Hasna, who’s sensible and calculated knock saw a risk free 33* off 27, and North London Muslims topping the group with three balls to spare. Hampstead qualified for the semi-finals in second place.
Quarter Final Group Two
Group Two contained Ickenham, Kay Plus and West Harrow, with the winners to play Hampstead, and second place to play North London Muslims.
The first match saw West Harrow take on Kay Plus, the latter winning the toss and electing to field. The bowling side were able to restrict West Harrow to just 59 off their 10 overs, knocking off the runs without losing a wicket in just 4.2 overs.
The next match of the group saw tournament favourites and former National Champions, Ickenham, take on Kay Plus. 112 was the score to chase as skipper Elliot Evans and Harrison Marner retired on 26 for Ickenham. This proved too much for Kay Plus, who fell 45 runs short.
Ickenham against West Harrow was the final match, and everything was still to play for. Ickenham won the toss and elected to field, and similar to their previous match, poor shot selection and chaotic running between the wickets, paired with neat bowling and tidy fielding saw West Harrow all out for 52 after 6 overs. Ethan Slee the pick of the bowlers with 2-9 from 2 overs. In response, Ickenham’s classy, risk-free batting from the group stages was continued, as they knocked off the runs in 3.4 overs without losing a wicket.
Semi Finals
Four sides left in the competition as the tournament reached its straight knockout phase. First up, North London Muslims took on Kay Plus, where another dominant display from North London Muslims left Kay Plus 37 all out after 5 overs. Three wickets apiece for Zubair Ghardiwala and Tarik Nalla booked North London Muslims place in the final, with the runs chased down in just 15 balls.
The second semi-final saw Ickenham take on Hampstead, in what would be the match of the tournament. As was the trend throughout the tournament, the team who won the toss elected to field, and this was the case for Hampstead. Ickenham, unphased by the added pressure of the knockout match, continued with their brand of indoor cricket, nudging and nurdling, limiting risk. For a fifth consecutive innings, Elliot Evans reached the retirement score, as too did Harrison Marner, as they finished on 113 from their 10 overs. A defendable score, but by no means a certainty. The run chase got off to the perfect start, as Rafay Ahmed and Syed Mohammed Moin-Ali reached their retirements. Ickenham clawed their way back into the tie with a few quick wickets, only to see Hampstead’s star man Ahmed return. He finished on 57* off 19 balls, with two fours and six sixes, dumping Ickenham out of the tournament in emphatic style.
Final
After calm was restored following a quite remarkable run chase, the final of the competition saw North London Muslims take on Hampstead, with Middlesex men's fast-bowler Tom Helm watching on. North London Muslims won the all-important toss, elected to field and could not have asked for a better start. Rafay Ahmed, caught and bowled first ball of the final by Zubair Ghardiwala. Cue bedlam. However, the excitement of the first ball did not distract North London Muslims from their task, as three balls later, Ghardiwala castled Moin-Ali. Hampstead could not get going, and with no one able to reach double figures, a feeble 40 was all they could set to try and defend. Unsurprisingly, North London Muslims continued their dominance that they had shown throughout the tournament, and knocked off the total in 19 balls, crowning them champions.
Jubilant scenes as they were the first side to lift the Gerry Lillie Indoor Trophy, and a thoroughly deserved triumph for them.
It was fantastic to see such a range of clubs competing in the tournament, and a real appetite for cricket in February despite the miserable weather. A big thank you to the Middlesex County Cricket League for their support, and to MACO for providing umpires and scorers throughout the tournament, and without whom we would not be able to offer these opportunities to clubs. We hope that this has invigorated cricketers for the upcoming season, and look forward to the first rounds of fixtures.
Congratulations once again to North London Muslims Cricket Club, and best of luck in the regional finals!
There are plans to hold the competition again in 2026 and more details about how to register will be announced later this year.