West Essex’s concession to Upminster in the last group game of the Matchplay yesterday ensured top spot for Upminster in Group C, and a home quarter final on 4th August. The team claimed three other victories in their group, over Springfield, Hornchurch, and Oakfield Parkonians, while suffering just one defeat in a thrilling game against Ilford. Next Sunday’s tie will be against Chelmsford and will be Upminster’s first game in the second stage of the competition since 2015. The winners of Sunday’s match will progress to the semi-finals which will be on Wednesday 7th August at Hutton CC. Any support this Sunday for the contest with Billericay would be most appreciated by captain Harvey Daniels and the rest of his squad.

Whilst the Matchplay Team have been busy in recent weeks, the U15s have played only two games so far in the Havering League. They fell to a five wicket defeat against Hornchurch Athletic in late June, but bounced back to beat Hornchurch by six wickets at the start of July with Callum Berry and Matthew Ingleson in the runs.

The U13s sit top of the Havering League having completed their five matches with four wins and one defeat, to Rainham. They will have to wait for other Clubs to complete their fixtures to see if they will finish the season in first or second place. In the Len Stentiford Trophy the side came out of a very competitive group with two wins, against Buckhurst Hill and Wanstead, and three defeats.

In the Brian Taylor Trophy the U12s ended in fifth place in a very tough eight team group, winning just one game less than the eventual runners up. The highlight in that competition came with a convincing win at Brentwood where Gus Siggins made his maiden ton for the club, and in a huge partnership with Jamie Green took the game away from their hosts. Unfortunately tight defeats to Ilford and Frenford stopped the team progressing to the knockout stages. The side have also been competing in the Central League and have enjoyed some excellent contests with the likes of Shenfield, Hutton and Bentley.

The U11s have been competing on a number of fronts, and they face a big game this Sunday (4th August) when they take on Woodford Green in the Haydn Davies Trophy quarter finals at Upminster Park (9.15am). Despite being drawn in a seemingly challenging group, Keith Pedrick’s side saw off Fives and Heronians, Gidea Park, South Woodford, Ilford, and Rainham to earn themselves a home quarter final. All support is most welcome at the Club for the game this Sunday, which will see the winners progress to the semi finals on August 25th. In the Havering League the side have picked up wins over Harold Wood and AGHAB, while suffering a defeat to Rainham.

The U11B side have also had a busy season so far, competing in the Havering League and the Central League. In the Havering League the side have beaten Harold Wood and suffered three defeats, one of these being a thrilling four run loss to local rivals Hornchurch. In the Central League there have been some excellent performances including a 35 run win over Brentwood and an exciting one run win against Bentley, with Ethan Berry scoring the winning runs from the last ball of the match. Both U11 sides also competed in Gidea Park and Romford’s World Cup Family Festival on the morning of World Cup Final day.

In the Don Coates Trophy four wins and four defeats saw the U9a side finish Group A in fifth place out of nine teams. The highlight of that competition was a 76 run victory over Bancroft Lions, while a narrow four run defeat to Wanstead proved damaging to their hopes of reaching the knockout stages. In the Havering League the team have picked up four wins so far, including a recent success over Harold Wood by 74 runs. The side have also had their first experience of hard ball cricket, with a Central Cup game against Maldon and a friendly with Ilford, and they also came out as winners at the excellent World Cup Family Festival at Gidea Park, beating the hosts in the Final.

The U9b team, made up of Year 3 players, have played their first games this Year, winning one and losing three so far in the Havering League, with that victory coming against Rainham. The side have also played several friendly games and played one Don Coates Trophy game where they put in their best performance of the season to overcome South Woodford. As well as these fixtures the team also played in softball festivals at St John’s Billericay and at Gidea Park and Romford.