Through Middlesex call-ups, injuries, isolation and other extenuating circumstances, we’ve come out the other side with plenty of credit. The first team played half the season without either captain or vice-captain and missed out entirely on our four homegrown pros. And yet, they finished three points away from a second title in three years, with Joel Hughes – on one ankle – taking 44 wickets in 10 games at 7.68 apiece, including cumulative figures of 14 for 36 against Ealing. He is now the club’s all-time leading top-flight wicket-taker.

These injuries and omissions have given opportunities to some less experienced lads (Walter, Cracknell, Howeld) who have more than stepped up to the mark, while the older heads (Flowers, Hughes, Vanderspar) have all performed magnificently. A massive shout-out as well to Uzi, Hass, and Tej, who all played a significant role in our 2021 successes.

To be without so many players at the top of the club makes the achievements of Tom Greenhalgh’s fourth team even greater. Only once before – Richmond in 2010 – has a fourth team won the Third Tier Division One in the league’s history, but to do so this year of all years is perhaps the best indicator of the health of the club. Huzzy Hafeji was a revelation in his first year at the Midd.

The second team was as young as it has been for many years, but despite being washed out in the first two weeks of the season, still finished as runners-up to Teddington. So many players contributed to that success: teenagers Gabe Basden, Louis Hayward and Tommy Francis became regulars and played massive roles, while Jack Feather slotted in with the gloves in the final few weeks and Will Frais made a well-earned debut. Henry Howeld and Ben Owen chased 145 in 10.1 overs against Osterley and ran away with the Bomb Count in a side that played some outrageous cricket.

The third and fifth teams ended up in midtable, both beginning the summer as early frontrunners before tailing off in July. There were still plenty of positives: Nikhil Perrincherri hit his first senior hundred, Keown Taylor enjoyed a brilliant first season, Nick Friend passed 400 league runs for the first time, Jack Price returned from a year’s shielding and Nathan Laddie broke through as a gun batter at senior level. Andre Mishra, an absolute club legend, took his 400th league wicket for the Midd, though we said farewell to brilliant stalwarts in Tommy Barrow and Alec Dawson. Lakeesha Walia made her fifth team debut and the Walter brothers – Fergal and Rory – became indispensable members after joining from Hampstead.

In short, this summer has been about so much more than titles. Above is just a tiny snapshot. In all, 65 current or former juniors played Saturday league cricket for the club this year, which is a remarkable statistic.

We’ll continue to do it our way, the right way: the under-19s were T20 semi-finalists, the under-15s were county cup winners and runners-up in the County League Play Offs and we became MDL champions for the second time on Sunday (see separate report on that). As always, the senior teams will ultimately benefit from the clarity of our culture. This is what amateur sport is all about, and Saturday night’s scenes were testament to an environment that has been cultivated over the last decade and beyond.

Last competitive game of the Season on Sunday - U17 Final v Harrow at the Midd. Let's finish strong.

There are plans for a busy social calendar over the winter. In the meantime, though, thanks to everyone for your efforts over the last four months, either in a playing capacity or for the countless hours of volunteering. You are all what makes this club what it is: the envy of many and a second home for so many of us.

Match reports from the final week of the League season

1st XI vs Ealing (a) - NMCC win by seven wickets
Ealing 68 (29.5) v NMCC 70-3 (13.3) - Joel Hughes 6-11, Matt Cracknell 25*

Scorecard https://northmid.play-cricket.com/website/results/4622636

By Henry Howeld (abridged version)

It was a Saturday of uncertainty. Would Crouch End defeat Twickenham? Was the rumour that Teddington would be without the majority of their first team for a wedding a bunch of nonsense? Looking back, knowing what we know now, we can answer in the affirmative to both those queries. However, what was confirmed on Saturday was that Ealing have suffered grievously at the hands of Joel Hughes in 2021. They had been victim to his 8 for 25 earlier in the year but little did they know that his 2021 tally would increase to 14 for 36 by Saturday lunchtime.

It started when he tickled the edge of dangerman Mylo Wilkin (well caught in Parslow's gut at first slip). It continued when he cleaned bowled Kay and Ensom. And it finished after he hit Elech, Shaw, and Martin on their respective shins. 33-6.

While Joel (6 for 11) was busying himself from the Pavilion end, Hugh Teesdale (0 for 22) had delivered a fantastic spell of away swing bowling from the other end. Hugh was replaced by North Midd's unofficially official quickest bowler William Vanderspar. Vanders (2 for 10) used his extra pace to bounce out two Ealing batters. The first bouncer was an extra-quick dipping wide bouncer, bravely spooned to Howeld at cover. The second was more genuine, gloved through to the keeper. 52 for 8. From here it was up to Alex Macqueen (1 for 16) and Uzii (1 for 4) to mop up the rest. Shout out to Parz, who took a screamer diving away to his left to dismiss Ben Ladd Gibbon. 68 all out, at 1.30pm. How wonderful.

We forewent tea to come straight back out. Howeld (18) and Cracknell (25*) removed their bucket hats quickly and replaced them with their helmets. This would prove a crucial decision, as ex-Northants bowler Harry Stow bowled regularly at their heads. Howeld bore the brunt of this barrage. After slogging Ensom for 18 in the previous over, he ducked into a good length Stow delivery and was hit hard on the head. Though he was not floored, nor dismissed, in the subsequent over Howeld plinked Martin to the cow-corner boundary-rider. Tej was then dismissed by a well-delivered slower ball by Stow. 30 for 2. From here on in we took control. Antipodeans Flowers (16) and Parslow (8*) scored freely off more short-pitched deliveries, while Matt stayed firmly put at the other end. We reached the target in 11 overs, and the game had lasted almost exactly three hours.

Here is the winning team -

2nd XI vs Teddington (h) - NMCC lose by 147 runs
Teddington 249 (40.1) v NMCC 102 (23) - Ed Wells 4-24, Ed Wells 29*

Scorecard https://northmid.play-cricket.com/website/results/4622672

Left to right: Feather (wicketkeeper), Mills (hiding behind Feather), Warner (touching self), Walter (bucket hat), Wells (mid-poo), Hayward (hands in pockets)

3rd XI vs Osterley (h) - NMCC win by 111 runs
NMCC 319-6 (45) v Osterley 208 (40.5) - Jay Madan 84* (62), Ed Lake 79 (93), Andre Mishra (4-56)

Scorecard https://northmid.play-cricket.com/website/results/4623484

4th XI vs Highgate (a) - NMCC win by nine wickets AND ARE CHAMPIONS
Highgate 111 (33.3) v NMCC 115-1 (20.5) - Manan Parmar 65, Tom Greenhalgh 4-21

Scorecard https://northmid.play-cricket.com/website/results/4622745

We say goodbye to Alec Dawson, who is returning home to New Zealand

5th XI vs North London (a) - NMCC lost by eight wickets
NMCC 45 (22) v North London 49-2 (7.4)

Scorecard https://northmid.play-cricket.com/website/results/4621191