It has been another bumper summer for our junior sides. With more than 450 young players attached to the club, and with what seemed like endless periods of hot sunny weather over the past five months, it has been another season to remember for our junior section.

Minis (U5s, U6s, U7s)
Our youngest cricketers, from Years R, 1 and 2 trained at the club on Friday evenings throughout the summer months. Led by Head Coach Simmons and his huge team of coaches and volunteers, these sessions give our young players a fun and enjoyable introduction to cricket.

The progress made by these young players throughout the season was clear to see and our U7s put this into practice late in the season when they took part in their first KWIK Cricket Festival, hosted by Galleywood. This event will have given the group a taste of what is to come in 2027 when they move to become our U8s and begin to play in a variety of competitions.

U8s
In their first season of competitive cricket the U8s had a busy season. Playing in their first season of competitive cricket and being a year younger than the majority of their opponents, the side were often up against it, but their performances and results improved immensely as the summer went on. Two sides were entered into the Central U9 Softball Leagues, and one team was entered into the Central U9 Hardball League. Both sides picked up wins in the Softball Leagues and while no victories were secured in the Hardball League the performances improved hugely as the season went on and the experience will stand the squad in good stead for the 2027 season.

U8s Stats
Played 21
Won 5
Lost 16

U9s
It was an excellent season for the U9s squad who challenged for honours in a number of competitions and enjoyed their cricket throughout the summer. Both the Ultras and Ultimate sides played in the Central Softball Leagues with both sides finishing in second place in their respective divisions, while in the Central Hardball League the Ultras finished in a more than respectable fourth place (from ten sides). Two tough draws were handed out in both the Central Cups (softball and hardball) meaning there was no Finals Day appearance for this group, but everyone involved in this squad will agree it was a hugely successful and thoroughly enjoyable season.

U9s Stats
Played 24
Won 13
Lost 11

U9s Honours
Central U9 Softball Section A – RUNNERS UP
Central U9 Softball Section B – RUNNERS UP

Girls' U8s, U9s & U10s
While these squads didn’t play in any competitive games they played in a number of festivals across the summer having great fun and gaining experience that will help them in the coming seasons.

U10s
It was a truly memorable season for the U10s group who completed the Central League and Cup double and played some brilliant cricket in what was a busy summer for everyone involved. In Central League Division One the team suffered one loss from their seven games but crucially beat Brentwood to take the title, and it was the same two teams who met in a thrilling Central Cup Final with Upminster taking the honours by three wickets with just a ball to spare. The depth of talent within this squad was also evidenced by their performances and results in a number of other competitions with the Ultras claiming second spot in the Havering U11 League and the Ultimate finishing third in Central U10 Division Two. Meanwhile the Softball side performed well in the Central Softball League, winning half of their games to finish in mid-table.

U10s Stats
Played 31
Won 28
Lost 8

U10s Honours
Central U10 Hardball Division One – WINNERS
Central U10 Cup – Winners
Havering U11 League – RUNNERS UP

U11s
It was a season of near misses for the U11s who nevertheless enjoyed an excellent summer once again. The Ultras secured runners-up spot in a very high-quality Central League Division One, suffering just one defeat throughout the campaign, while the Ultimate also ended in second place in Central League Division Two West. There was also a top three finish in the Havering League but a first round exit in the Central Cup as the team faced a very strong Billericay side for the third season in a row.

U11s Stats
Played 21
Won 15
Lost 6

U11s Honours
Central U11 Division One – RUNNERS UP
Central U11 Division Two West – RUNNERS UP

U11 Girls’
What a season it was for the U11 Girls who competed for honours in a number of competitions. The eventual highlight was a thrilling win over Hornchurch Athletic in the Central U11 Girls Hardball Cup Final, but they also finished as runners up in the Central U11 Girls Hardball League and claimed a top three finish in the Central U12 Girls Softball League. In the County Cup competition, the girls finished second in their group to narrowly miss out on a place in the final but they made up for that in the Essex Softball Smash where they won their District qualifying tournament before winning all three games at Finals Day to claim the title. As well as all this the girls played in a number of festivals including the Mini Matchplay at the County Ground where they had an excellent evening.

U11 Girls’ Stats
Played 19
Won 11
Lost 8

U11 Girls’ Honours
Central U11 Girls Hardball Cup – WINNERS
Essex Softball Smash – WINNERS
Central U11 Girls Hardball League – RUNNERS UP

U12s
There is still the potential for the season to end with a trophy for the U12s as the Ultras’ final Central League Division One game with Great Baddow is yet to be played, with both sides still having a chance of taking the title. The first half of the season saw the team perform well in the Brian Taylor Trophy group stages, winning two of their four games in a tough group. There was however disappointment in the Central Cup where a quarter final loss to Bentley ended their hopes of glory. The Ultimate side also performed well, winning half of their games in Central League Division Two West.

U12s Stats
Played 21
Won 11
Lost 10

U12 Girls’
This squad enjoyed an excellent season and played some brilliant cricket throughout the summer. The highlight was a league title in the Central U12 Girls Softball League where they went unbeaten throughout the season. They lost out narrowly in the Central U12 Girls Softball Cup Final while they played up a year in the Central U13 Girls Hardball League and still secured a top three finish. They also competed up a year in the U13 Essex Softball Smash where they finished in an excellent fourth place.

U12 Girls’ Stats
Played 9
Won 6
Lost 2
Tied 1

U12 Girls’ Honours
Central U12 Girls Softball Leage – WINNERS
Central U12 Girls Softball Cup – RUNNERS UP

U13s
There were more trophies in 2026 for a squad who have regularly picked up silverware over the past few seasons. A last day win for the Ultras over Shenfield secured the Central League Division One title while a ten wicket win over the same opposition saw the Central Cup retained at Finals Day. There was a top three finish in the Havering League for the Ultimate side who also competed in Central League Division Two West. The highlight of the season for this squad though was their run to the last eight of the National Cup. Having qualified for the competition by winning the 2025 Brian Taylor Trophy the side then beat Copdock & Old Ipswichian and Horsham to make it through to the Area Final. Despite an excellent performance in the field Esher proved too strong and won by 29 runs, but it was a remarkable achievement for an Upminster side to get to that stage of such a competition.

U13s Stats
Played 25
Won 15
Lost 10

U13s Honours
Central U13 Division One – WINNERS
Central U13 Cup – WINNERS

U13 Girls’
An excellent season finished with two runners up spots for this squad. They came second in the Central U13 Girls Hardball League and then lost out to an excellent Hutton side in the Central U13 Girls Hardball Cup. They also took part in the County Cup competition where they put in some excellent performances against strong opposition.

U13 Girls’ Stats
Played 13
Won 5
Lost 8

U13 Girls’ Honours
Central U13 Girls Hardball League – RUNNERS UP
Central U13 Girls Hardball Cup – RUNNERS UP

U14s
Another group who have regularly picked up silverware in recent years, and 2026 was no different as the Ultras won a thrilling Central Cup Final against Harold Wood in the rain at Upminster Park in late August. The team also reached the knockout stages of the Sir Alastair Cook Trophy before losing to Chingford in the Last 16 while they also claimed third place finishes in the Central U14 and U15 Divisions One. The depth of talent at this age group was also shown with the Ultimate side finishing third in Central U14 Division Two West, while it was also great to see so many players from this age group moving into senior cricket and making meaningful contributions across the season.

U14s Stats
Played 25
Won 18
Lost 6
Tied 1

U14s Honours
Central U14 Cup – WINNERS
Central U14 Division Two West – RUNNERS UP

U15s
It was a difficult season for the U15s with fixtures difficult to arrange and the campaign becoming a little fragmented. A narrow defeat to Brentwood in the Central Cup was unfortunate while only a handful of Central League games were played with the side eventually finishing fifth (from eight sides).

U15s Stats
Played 5
Won 3
Lost 2

U15 Girls’
A brilliant performance in the Central U15 Girls Cup Final saw the side finish their season in style as they overcame Billericay to claim the trophy. The side also finished in mid table in the Central U15 Girls League and performed well in the County Cup competition, finishing second in the table in their qualifying group.

U15 Girls’ Stats
Played 11
Won 4
Lost 7

U15 Girls’ Honours
Central U15 Girls’ Cup - WINNERS

U16s
Unfortunately the Matchplay competition was a difficult one for all involved once again with a number of concessions and teams pulling out. This effected Upminster as much as anyone with only two games played from the originally scheduled four. One of the games played saw a fine win over Harold Wood but the other saw a heavy defeat against Shenfield and that result meant the side failed to progress beyond the group stage of the competition.

U16s Stats
Played 2
Won 1
Lost 1

U17s
Only three games were played by the U17s with an early season loss to Hornchurch in the Central Cup followed by two league wins which were enough to see the side secure the Central U17 League title.

U17 Stats
Played 3
Won 2
Lost 1

U17s Honours
Central U17 League – WINNERS

U19s
The U19s played some great cricket once again before narrowly missing out on a place at Finals Day in the Ravi Bopara Trophy. Having won their group with three wins from three the side came up just short against Shenfield in their quarter final, losing out by seven runs.

U19 Stats
Played 4
Won 3
Lost 1

Overall Stats
Played 234
Won 135
Lost 97
Tied 2

Thank Yous
To play 234 matches, claim so many trophies and ensure all 463 young players enjoy their cricket, a lot of work is required from a lot of people!! Therefore, a huge thank you is due to everyone involved in junior cricket at the club. The list of people involved is endless, but thanks to the coaches, umpires, scorers, grounds’-staff, pitch co-ordinators and of course the parents who spend countless hours of time and energy ferrying our young players to games and training sessions. And a special thank you to the Team Managers who give up many hours a week, in the summer and beyond, to make sure so much cricket is played and that the club’s junior section continues to be amongst the very best in the entire country.

A note of thanks also to those who run and organise competitions at the Central Essex Cricket Participation Group, the Havering Cricket League, Essex Cricket in the Community and the ECB.

We look forward with anticipation to the 2027 season, and in the meantime have the small matter of 120 indoor games for our juniors to enjoy.