With no Havering League indoor competitions taking place this winter, all attention has been focussed on the Central League indoor competitions which have been taking place at Shenfield High and Campion Schools.

A number of Upminster sides are in the running for honours and the U14 Ultras have already secured some silverware!! They are competing in U15 Division 2 this winter, and their win over Brentwood U14s on Saturday was their sixth success from six games and meant they secured the title with a game to spare. In the same division, Upminster’s U13 Ultras are in a strong position to claim the runners-up spot, despite playing many sides two years older than themselves. Their final game is against Great Baddow, and a win for Upminster will secure second spot.

The U13 Ultras are also on course to claim the U13 Division 1 title. They still have two games to play before the season concludes, but they know a win over Brentwood this Saturday will all but seal the title. Also in that division are the U12 Ultras who currently sit in fourth place in the table with two games remaining.

The U12 Ultras are also playing in the U12 Division 1, and they are closing in on the title in that competition. In what is a very tough division the Ultras have maintained a 100% record through their first five games and know one win from their remaining two contests will give them the title. The U12 Ultimates are also in that same division, and while they are not in the frame for any honours, they did pick up an excellent win over Shenfield at the end of January.

U11 Division 1 has once again been a fiercely competitive and high quality league, and Upminster’s U11 Ultras have been pushing towards the top end of the table. They finished the season with five wins out of seven and will end the season in either second or third spot (depending on other results). And in U11 Division 2 our U10 Ultras still have title aspirations with three games to play, although they look to have a tough job on their hands to overhaul Great Baddow.

U9 Division 1 is one of the tightest leagues in the entire programme, with three sides still maintaining 100% records even at this stage of the season. One of those sides is Upminster’s U9 Ultras whose recent win over Billericay was their sixth success. They are still to face Brentwood and Harold Wood, who have also won all of their games to date, and so an exciting end to the season is in store. Also on this division are our U8 Ultras who have put in a number of excellent performances against strong sides from the year above.

U9 Division 2 is the most open league of the winter, with everyone seemingly beating everyone. Upminster’s U9 Ultimates currently sit in fourth place in this nine team division, and they could yet still force their way into the top two if they can win their final two contests. Our U8 Ultimates are also in this division, and they face Hutton in their next contest.

In other divisions, our U15 Ultras look set for a mid-table finish in U15 Division 1 with one game to play, while it is a similar situation for our U13 Ultimates in U13 Division 2 and for the U12 Underdogs in U12 Division 2. There has also been a significant Upminster presence in the U10 Divisions with the U10 Ultras sitting in mid-table in Division 1 and the U9 Ultras and U10 Ultimates amongst five sides in Division 2 who all currently have a record of played six, won three, lost three.

Our girls’ teams have also enjoyed a busy winter programme in the girls’ competitions. Leading the way have been our U11 Uprising, who won four out of five games in the U11 Division. This put them into a three-way tie at the top of the table with Hutton and Hornchurch Athletic. With all three sides having identical records and having beaten one another once each we await a decision from the league officials as to the final standings!! Also in the U11 Division are the U10 Uprising who picked up their first win of the season last week against Brentwood.

The U13 Girls competition has been very open and although the U13 Uprising sit bottom of the table at the moment they could still end up in top spot!! They have won two of their three games so far and face Hutton and current leaders High Roding this weekend, knowing two wins would see them leap from bottom spot to top spot and claim the title!!

In the U15 Girls competition, a narrow defeat for the U15 Uprising in their most recent match means Upminster can no longer claim the title, but they are still in the race for the runners-up spot with two of their scheduled matches remaining.

All in all, the club’s junior sides have taken part in more than 100 indoor league games already this winter, with more than 20 still to be played. We must thank Jan West and Ollie Peck of the Central Essex Cricket Participation Group for all of their work and effort in arranging so many indoor competitions this winter.