Unbelievably we have reached the halfway point of the season already and results have been up and down so far. Here we take a look at how things have gone for our sides in the first half of the campaign and how the second half of the season may play out:

1st XI
Two good performances in the League Cup left everyone hopeful of a positive start to the Division One season, but with a number of players not available for various reasons the league campaign started with two defeats, one by just one wicket at Ilford, the other by a lot wider margin at Epping. Aztecs were swept aside at Upminster Park to get the side off the mark and away from the bottom of the table, but this was followed by a heavy loss at previous winless Chingford and then an abandoned game against Orsett & Thurrock It meant that the home game against Gidea Park and Romford in mid-June was a crucial one, and Upminster rose to the occasion to pick up a seven wicket win. Unfortunately, this was followed by the poorest performance of the season at leaders Loughton, meaning the side looked back in trouble as June neared its conclusion. However, second place Epping's early declaration in the following game gave Upminster a chance which they expertly took and a fine all round performance against Ilford last weekend meant the side ended the first half of the season in fifth place in the Division One table. Stars of the show with the bat have been Mo Ahmad and Tom Daniels who are amongst the leading run scorers in the division, whilst Ian Russell has added some experience to the middle order. With the ball veteran Shafiq Rahman has led the way, while seamers Nehal Butt, Max Carter Miller and Aaron Beard have been amongst the wickets. What has also been great to see is the number of young players in the side and making contributions. Gus Philpot, Ollie Burley, Jamie Green and Callum Berry have all been regulars whilst Ollie Clarke and Aki Rahman have also made appearances. Loughton and Epping currently hold the top two places in the division, and there is then a big gap back to Springfield in third, so getting into the promotion mix will prove difficult over the coming weeks. However, with Adam Wheater back in Upminster colours and captain Pulkit Gupta returning from injury, there is no reason why the team cannot put a run together and put the leading sides under pressure towards the end of the season.

Women's 1st XI
After an amazing debut year in the top flight in 2024, it's been a tougher first half of the season this time out. Whilst the first two games ended in defeats to Hutton and Colchester & East Essex, the performances in both contests were positive and the margins of the defeats were narrow. However, the following week at Wanstead & Snaresbrook saw a heavy loss and left the side sitting near the foot of the table. The team showed great character against Woodford Wells at Upminster Park and put in an excellent all round performance to pick up a comfortable win, but then fell to a heavy defeat at Bishops Stortford at the end of May. That left the side in fifth position in the six team division at the halfway point of the Division One season, but they are well clear of Woodford Wells who sit in sixth at this stage. In The Hundred Competition results have been equally up and down. Hutton conceded both games in the first round of matches, before Upminster suffered two losses against Colchester & East Essex, one by a relatively narrow margin and one by a wider gap. Two defeats were also suffered against Wanstead & Snaresbrook but just last weekend there were two wins to celebrate against Woodford Wells, one by a record-breaking margin. That means that Upminster can still claim The Hundred title if they can win both games against Bishops Stortford on July 20th and other results go their way. The Division One campaign restarts at the start of August, and there will be five games on consecutive Sundays as the side look to climb up the table. Paige Roche has led the way with the bat so far, while Harri Goodey and Zoe Quested have also made good contributions. Felicity Russell has also impressed on a number of occasions and has shown her potential with the bat. Bowling wise Lois Gable and Keya Shah have led the way and are amongst the leading wicket takers in both of the Premier League competitions.

2nd XI
Having finished as Premier Division runners-up in 2024 hopes were high for another title push this summer, but things have not panned out that way. Availability issues meant the side for the first month of the season had a very unfamiliar look to it, and there were defeats to Chelmsford and Harold Wood to begin the campaign. The team looked to have turned a corner when they beat struggling Woodford Wells and then neighbours Hornchurch in consecutive weeks, but those wins were followed by a crushing loss against Brentwood and a loss to Hornchurch in the return game. Wells were seen off at Upminster Park to give the team their first win of the season in the time and overs format, and the two most recent games ended in draws, one with Upminster clinging on at Harold Wood and one with the team pushing for victory at Ilford. All that means the team lay eighth in the table at the halfway point, with only Wells and Ilford below them, but with Chingford and Hornchurch in striking distance just above. John Curtis has led the way with the bat again, as he did in 2024, whilst Mit Shah has stepped up and shown what he is capable of. The best individual batting performance though came from Sam Twine, whose unbeaten century at Harold Wood was the main reason that defeat was avoided. Captain Ollie Peck has claimed 20 wickets already, while Curtis has picked up 12 to go alongside his haul of runs. The one positive from the sketchy availability to date has been the opportunity for several young players to step up and take on responsibility, and the experience gained will help them in the second half of this season and beyond. The chaotic nature of the fixture list this season (with the 2s only having faced six different teams across the nine weeks) means it is hard to judge where everyone sits, but with a number of experienced faces returning to the side in recent weeks, and a number of young players finding some form, it won't be long before the team are back amongst the sides in the top half of the table.

Women's 2nd XI
After promotion in 2024, 2025 was always going to be a harder season for the Women's 2nd XI. With a number of young players having moved up to the 1st XI, which shows what progress the women's section is making as a whole, the 2nd XI have had to rebuild somewhat, and results have reflected this, but have also shown how much players are developing as the season goes on. With Harold Wood having conceded all of their games to date, including the two against Upminster, five games have been completed. All five have ended in defeats but one of these losses came by three runs (against High Roding) and one by one wicket (against Orsett & Thurrock). Only one game, the loss to Billericay, finished with a convincing result. Runs have been hard to come by, and that is where the side will look to improve in the second half of the season, whilst Lauren Plumb, Priya Somani and captain Angela Green have been amongst the wickets. The league fixtures recommence this weekend with a crucial visit to High Roding, and it is hoped that over the coming weeks the strength in depth that the women's section now has will come to the fore, and the side will climb the table and move away from the drop zone.

3rd XI
It doesn't seem to matter what else happens elsewhere in the club, the 3rd XI relentlessly press on in pursuit of their fourth Premier Division title in seven seasons. 2025 has not all been all plain sailing so far, and the first game of the season was a little closer than hoped for before Hornchurch were beaten by just three runs in a thrilling contest. A home defeat to Woodford Wells followed, before the side got back on track with wins over Shenfield and West Essex. Games with Harlow have been nip and tuck in recent years, and this season's encounter was no different, with Upminster beating the wet weather to pick up a crucial win, before the timed games started with an extraordinary draw at Woodford Wells where Steve Limn recorded a remarkable 162 not out. Two tight games followed, one ending with a win over West Essex and one with a defeat to Harold Wood, before the first half of the season concluded with a fine win over Ilford where Ross Taylor remarkably went one run better than Limn with an unbeaten innings of 163. All of this leaves the side in second place in the Premier Division table, just ten points behind leaders Brentwood, with Harold Wood a little way back in third place. Limn and skipper Dan Simpson have both been in fine form at the top of the order, while Michael Pedrick has been enjoying a consistent season with the bat. With the ball it's been business as usual for Mark D'Cruz. "Grumpy" has picked up 15 wickets so far and has been supported by two young fast bowlers Tom Young and Ryan Oakes who have both impressed. The next two weeks will go a long way towards deciding how the season pans out as the side visit leaders Brentwood this weekend before travelling to fourth place Chingford next week. If positive results can be picked up in those games, then there is no reason why a title push cannot be sustained as we move towards the business end of the season.

4th XI
Playing in a division with 3rd XIs from some of the biggest clubs in the County is never going to be easy, and it’s been a tough season so far for the 4s. A number of games have ended in defeats by very tight margins, and the team will be hoping those margins can be overcome in the second half of the season. Week one saw a loss to Buckhurst Hill by just five runs before a more comprehensive loss was incurred at Wanstead on the following Saturday. Rob Mack helped the side to a crucial two wicket win over Gidea Park & Romford, before a narrow loss (by 17 runs) followed against Frenford. The quirkiness of this season’s fixtures meant two games in two weeks against Chelmsford, with both ending in seven wicket losses, before real signs of progress in the last three weeks. The side had the better of a draw with Hutton, did well to grind out another draw with Orsett & Thurrock and then outplayed Gidea Park & Romford who eventually hung on for a draw despite big contributions from Rob Healy and Rob Mack. It means Upminster are currently bottom of the table, but they are only six points behind Orsett & Thurrock and a further ten behind Gidea Park & Romford. Captain Matt Ingleson has led the way with the bat, while Avanish Ajmani has been in good form and Mack and Healy have impressed when in the side. Wickets have been hard to come by, but Shrey Shah has picked up ten so far and spinner Nathan Brown has claimed seven. The second half of the campaign begins this Saturday with the visit of Buckhurst Hill, and while the first nine games have been tough recent performances and improved availability offer hope that the side can climb away from the foot of the table over the coming weeks.

5th XI
After many years in 4th XI Premier Division West the 5th XI this season moved across to 4th XI Premier Division East and they have enjoyed playing new sides and being able to visit grounds the club has not played at for many years. One of those sides was Westcliff who Upminster faced on the first day of the season, and Aalok Latey’s side were well beaten by nine wickets. They bounced back a week later with a home win against Leigh on Sea, with Vicky and Eddie Waters becoming the first mother and son combination to represent the club in a league game. Another win against Leigh followed in the next game before a convincing win against Shenfield was followed by an abandoned game against the same opposition. Another defeat against Westcliff meant the first six games had all been played against three sides, before a local derby against Hornchurch Athletic resulted in a four wicket loss. There was a convincing win against Benfleet to end June before a six wicket loss to Hornchurch in a high scoring derby contest. The team lay seventh at the halfway point of the season, and they are 50 points above the drop zone and 50 points behind leaders Westcliff. With some clubs having played one another twice and others having not played each other at all there is plenty of scope for the table to change over the coming weeks. Stewart Hammond and Lewis Munn have performed consistently with the bat so far, while Dylan Narbheram and captain Latey have led the way with the ball. The performances of Munn, Narbheram and the other young players in the side has been a real positive so far, and it will be interesting to see their progress continue over the remainder of the season.

6th XI
Our 6th XI made the move to the T-Rippon Mid Essex League for 2025, alongside our 7th XI who moved for the 2024 season, and the 6s have been competing in Division 8. The Mid Essex season starts one week earlier than the Hamro Foundation Essex League, so both the 6th and 7th XIs are now 10 games into their 18 game league programme. There was some trepidation as to whether the team was at the right level for the season, but all that was forgotten after two thrilling games to start the season. Hatfield Peverel were beaten by one wicket on the opening weekend before Ilford Catholic were beaten by the same margin seven days later. A heavy defeat followed at picturesque Woodham Mortimer before the side bounced back with a win over Bentley. That was unfortunately the side’s last win to date as they have endured a tricky run of fixtures. They lost out to Writtle on the last day of May before being left frustrated a week later when they were cruising to a win over Southend before rain intervened. Two away defeats followed at Chignal and Boreham Royals before a heavy loss against promotion chasing Basildon & Pitsea. Last weekend saw another excellent contest with Hatfield Peverel, but this time it was Peverel who came out on top, by just 10 runs. Those results leave the team sitting seventh in the table, with a gap of 31 points to the danger zone at this time and a crucial visit to Ilford Catholic this weekend. The all-round skills of Harry Bradford and Ed Knight have been a highlight of the season so far, while Chris Brabin has also performed well with bat and ball. Captain Ray Calder has been as consistent as ever with the bat, while a number of young players have also made huge progress with Aadit Latey and Oscar Sousanna making some excellent contributions.

7th XI
The second season in Mid Essex League Division 9 has been a topsy turvy one for the 7th XI. The first match of the campaign against Hutton was abandoned due to a serious injury obtained by one of our young players. Dylan Brooks was making his senior debut when he was involved in a nasty collision and the game was called to a halt. Dylan is recovering well and we hope to see him back in action soon. The first completed game of the season saw the team pick up a brilliant win at Rankins, before two heavy defeats were suffered against Old Chelmsfordians and landlords Ardleigh Green & Havering Atte Bower. A convincing win followed at struggling Rayleigh before the contest with Chelmsford Super Kings was washed out. A disappointing performance saw the team lose out at Galleywood, but they bounced back to beat St Johns, only to lose again the following week on a difficult wicket at Great Totham. Then just last weekend the side put in their best performance of the season to beat a good Hutton side by seven wickets. It means that the team currently sit fourth in the table, and while they are long way off the top two, especially runaway leaders Old Chelmsfordians, they also have a gap to the relegation zone at this stage, although fixtures for the next few weeks look tough. Captain Craig Grote has impressed with the bat in recent weeks, while Woody Treadwell and Anay Narbheram are amongst the leading wicket takers in the division. As well as Treadwell and Narbheram a whole host of other youngsters have played an important role so far this season which has been great to see.