NMCC Seniors, 2024
Who are we and why should you join us?
If you're looking for a club, stop now: you've found the right place, and we'd love to welcome you.
Based in north London, 10 minutes from Highgate station and a short bus ride from Finsbury Park, we are North Middlesex Cricket Club, home to five senior teams who play on Saturdays (four in their highest possible divisions in the Middlesex County Cricket League) and more than 250 juniors (you can read more about them by clicking on the equivalent tab).
We've only split our senior and junior sections into different parts of the website because there is so much to tell you. Other than in this instance, we are one club, one community, one group of mates, one line from pre-colts to 1st XI. In some cases, we've been one line from pre-colts to Middlesex's first team, pre-colts to England Under-19. In others, we've been pre-colts to 35-year-old third-teamers. Once you're here, we like to think we'll get you for life!
The majority of our membership have come through the club's acclaimed junior section, and we wear those long-time friendships as a badge of honour, but we also pride ourselves on being a particularly welcoming, collegiate and friendly home from home for those looking for a new place to play their cricket, perhaps having moved to London recently, taken up the game again after a long hiatus or even just keen for a fresh start.
So, we are always happy to meet new players at all levels – from first-team standard through to the 5th XI – and have indoor training sessions from the start of November through to April, at which point we head outside for the final month of pre-season at our Park Road ground hidden away behind the residential streets of Muswell Hill.
We are ECB clubmark-accredited and have a player pathway that has produced four professional cricketers in the last six years. Two have played for England Under-19s, one in The Hundred and all four for Middlesex. A fifth was part of the Surrey Stars squad that won the Kia Super League in 2018 and has since played women's regional cricket for Sunrisers. There are plenty more where they came from.
We're proud of that fact and of those individuals, but what we're proudest of is how much the club means to so many people. This, for example, is written by a 29-year-old now in his twentieth year at The Midd and languishing in the third team but still as obsessed now as in his pre-teen years. His teammates from when he was 13 are still his teammates now.
So, we don't expect to regularly produce pros, but we do hope to maintain a production line of guys and girls who love spending their summers in our postcode, turning up for an evening net, settling in the clubroom for a game of pool and meeting up through the winters for a pizza here and a curry there.
Our 1st XI won the Middlesex Premier League in 2019 after finishing in the top three in 2018, 2017 and 2016. A decade earlier, we were two divisions away from even having the chance. They almost won it again in 2021, were flying in 2022 until a disappointing run ended those dreams, and lost a title shootout in 2023 on the final day.
Our 2nd XI have won the 2nd XI Premier League title three times in the last seven years, while the 3rd XI last won their crown in 2018 but have been second in the last two summers. The 4th XI won the division directly below in 2021. The 5th XI are working their way up.
All that is great, but none of it matters if you don't wake up on Saturday excited to spend the day with your mates. So, that's our thing, that's what we endeavour to do.
We socialise together during the week, eat together after games and host regular club events throughout the season.
So, if you want it to be, our NMCC is your NMCC.
Please, don't hesitate to get in contact using the details below:
Nick Friend, Seniors Cricket Coordinator (07948976314, nichfriend@gmail.com)
James Parslow, Director of Cricket (07398348468, jamesparslow217@gmail.com)
Key early-season dates, 2024
Wednesday, March 20: Final indoor session (from 8pm)
Saturday, March 30: Outdoor training (from 2pm)
Tuesday, April 2: Weekly nets start, and run until September (from 6pm)
Saturday, April 6: Groundforce morning (from 9am), players’ meeting (1.30pm), training (2pm), evening darts tournament (7pm)
Saturday, April 13: Senior training (from 2pm), post-cricket BBQ
Saturday, April 20: NMCC T20 Day, evening quiz
Saturday, April 27: Friendlies v North London
Sunday, April 28: National Cup v Sawston & Babraham
Saturday, May 4: Friendlies v Hampstead
Saturday, May 11: 2024 league season
*Look out for details of our summer social calendar, which are soon to be released on the website
Objectives of the senior section
We strive to be a spirited, inclusive, committed, collegiate and high-quality cricket club, of which our seniors and juniors all feel part. We strive to offer affordable 'Cricket for All' alongside a pathway to develop our strongest players.
Senior selection policy
All North Midd sides are selected on a combination of performance and ability; availability, attendance at training, attitude and commitment to the club both in the past and present; the payment of subscriptions and match fees; and adherence to the Club's Codes of Conduct. The balance of each side will be a priority. This includes the balancing of youth and experience and the balancing of qualities such that each player has a role within the team for which they are selected.
Selection decisions will be taken with the long-term benefit of the club in mind. North Midd prides itself on its pathway for the development of younger players and will always seek to progress talented youngsters. The overriding objectives of the policy are to provide consistency and fairness to all.
The Selection Committee will comprise all team captains and a Selection Coordinator. Players make themselves available for selection for all sides, unless special dispensation has been granted by the Selection Committee. While each captain needs to be satisfied with their team, selection decisions are the responsibility of the Selection Committee as a whole. Likewise, it is the responsibility of the Selection Committee to determine who will deliver the news to players dropped, as well as how that is to be communicated. Captains must inform players of their team by Wednesday evening.
Any issues related to selection should be raised with the appropriate captain(s) and leadership group(s) and, if not resolved, escalated to the Club Captain, Selection Coordinator and ultimately to the Club Chairman.
Senior training
Once we hit April, training takes place every Tuesday evening from 6pm until dark under the watchful eye director of cricket James Parslow, overseas player Jack Hartigan and head coach Paul Frost.
While that is the official session for the week, we have a training WhatsApp group comprising all senior members, on which individuals arrange additional net sessions later in the week. Thursday and Friday evenings – as the weekend looms – are popular for an extra hit and a bite to eat afterwards.
James is also available for one-to-one coaching.
Organisation of the senior section
In Paul Frost, we have a head coach who is committed to everyone involved, whatever the level. And in James Parslow, we are fortunate to have a terrific director of cricket. Nick Friend runs the logistical elements.
But we are an amateur club, built on the spirit and passion of our volunteers, who do all the legwork behind the scenes to make sure that we all have a club to play for.
Our captains for 2024 are as follows:
Jacob Miltz, 1st XI
Alex McDonald, 2nd XI
Nick Friend, 3rd XI
Tom Greenhalgh, 4th XI
Alex Thomas, 5th XI
Henry Howeld, Sunday captain
Elliot Lowe, club captain
We aim to have every individual's availability confirmed by Tuesday afternoon, with teams being selected on Tuesday evenings and released to players on Wednesdays, along with a rundown of the previous week's activities on our club Fantasy League.
Membership and match fees
For further details, please click on the following link:
In short, these have gone up slightly for 2024 after being frozen for two years previously. But if you pay by the end of April, you'll benefit from the early-bird deal that means you won't pay more than last year's fee.
We do our best to make the game as accessible as possible. As a starting point, new members go free for their first winter of indoor nets.
For membership and registration, we use the Pitchero app, which allows the club to request availability for matches and training, while also taking payment of match fees and annual subscriptions.
NMCC clothing
A range of NMCC playing, practice and leisurewear can be bought online here - this can also be accessed via the 'Club Kit Shop 2024' icon at the top of the website's homepage.
That usually operates on a lead time of a fortnight or so. If you can't wait that long, we also carry limited stock in the clubhouse, which is available for sale.