2024 was another very busy season for everyone involved in the club's junior section. The summer saw more young players train with or represent the club than ever before, and there were 230 matches played over the course of the season.

Here we take a look back on the summer and see how all our junior sides fared:

Minis (U5s, U6s, U7s)
Our youngest cricketers, from Years R, 1 and 2 trained at the club on Friday evenings throughout the summer months. Led by Head Coach Simmons and his huge team of coaches and volunteers, these sessions give our young players a fun and enjoyable introduction to cricket. As could be seen during the sessions on the morning of September's Benefit Match, these players have made huge strides over the last five months.

For the first time, 2024 also saw the U7s take part in a series of softball festivals. Organised by the Central Essex Participation Group, these festivals were held at different clubs throughout the summer. The events were great fun for everyone involved, but also gave our young players some great experience ahead of moving into more competitive matches in 2025.

U8s
In their first season of competitive cricket the U8s had a busy season. The squad played six games in the Havering U9s League (softball and no table kept at this age) with the highlight being a brilliant six run win over Orsett and Thurrock Lions. In the Central U9s Softball League the team put in some great performances against predominantly U9 sides, and they picked up two victories, including a brilliant win over Brentwood Blasters, to finish eighth in the ten team division. The team also took part in the Central U9s Hardball League, where the side had their first experiences of hardball cricket. Despite not winning any games, the performances improved hugely as the season went on and the experience will stand the squad in good stead for the 2025 season.

U8s Stats:
Played 18
Won 5
Lost 13

U9s
It was a memorable season for the U9s as they claimed two league titles after some brilliant performances. The first trophy they claimed was in the Central U9s Softball League where seven wins were claimed from eight games played, meaning they held off a season long challenge from Hornchurch Athletic to clinch top spot. Their second title came in the Central U10s Softball League, where despite playing against sides who were mainly a year older than them, Upminster narrowly pipped Orsett and Thurrock to claim the crown. The team also completed in the Central U9s Hardball League where five wins, including a brilliant performance against Hutton, saw them finish in fourth position (on the same number of points as second and third), and in the Havering U9s League (softball and no table kept at this age) where another five wins were picked up and three losses were suffered. The only disappointment of the season came in the Central U9s Cup where Upminster lost their first game against an excellent Billericay side.

U9s Stats:
Played 30
Won 21
Lost 9

U9s Honours:
Central U9s Softball West Division - WINNERS
Central U10s Softball Division - WINNERS

U10s
It was a busy season for the U10s who once again put in some excellent performances. In the Central U10s Cup the team picked up two superb wins against Hutton and Brentwood to set up a semi-final with Billericay. Unfortunately Billericay proved just to strong in the last four encounter and it was Ricay who went through to the final which they ended up winning. In the Central U10s Hardball League the game of the season came against Bentley where the match finished in a thrilling tie. Upminster went on to finish in fifth place in that league (from 11 sides) and they also finished in fifth place in Central U11s Division Two West, where despite playing against teams who were predominantly a year older, the team picked up five wins from seven completed matches. The side also competed in the Central U10s Softball League, where they came fourth out of nine sides and in the Havering U11s League, where they ended up in ninth place in the ten team division.

U10s Stats:
Played 25
Won 14
Lost 10
Tied 1

Girls U9s and U10s
Our Girls U9s and U10s sides enjoyed excellent seasons and picked up some silverware along the way!! The U9s played in a number of brilliantly organised festivals hosted by by Hutton, Hornchurch Athletic and Orsett and Thurrock. The experience from these festivals will really help the girls when they play league cricket in 2025, and the U9s ended their season by playing their first full softball match against Hornchurch Athletic. The U10 Girls won all three of their games in the Central Girls U10s Softball League to take the title, with Hornchurch Athletic finishing in second place.

Girls U9s and U10s Stats:
Played 4
Won 3
Lost 1
*does not include festival results

Girls U9s and U10s Honours:
Central Girls U10s Softball League - WINNERS

U11s
The U11s enjoyed a quite extraordinary season, claiming FOUR titles and playing nearly 40 games. The first title to be claimed was in Central U11s Division One, where a 100% record of ten wins from ten saw Upminster finish well clear of their nearest rivals. The depth within the squad was then shown when they clinched top spot (joint) in Central U11s Division Two West. Winning eight games out of ten Upminster finished level on all counts with Shenfield and Hutton in the 11 team division. In the Havering League Upminster put in an excellent performance to beat nearest challengers Belhus by 34 runs and then sealed the title with a 71 run win over Rainham at Spring Farm. Central Finals Day in September saw Upminster take on Springfield in an eagerly anticipated U11s Cup Final. Despite missing three players on County duty Upminster put in a dominant performance to win by six wickets and seal the Central League and Cup treble and claim their fourth title of the summer. The team also competed in a highly competitive Central U12s Division and won five games out of nine to finish in fifth place (from 11 sides). In August the team represented the club in the Mini Matchplay festival at the County Ground, Chelmsford (winning all four games they played) and the squad and their families also enjoyed a brilliant tour of North Devon (alongside the U12s), although the weather meant there was not as much cricket played as hoped for. The team were honoured at last week's Dinner and Dance when they were announced as the 2024 winners of the club's John Dean Team of the Year Award.

U11s Stats:
Played 39
Won 32
Lost 7
*does not include festival results or tour matches results

U11s Honours:
Central U11s Division One - WINNERS
Central U11s Cup - WINNERS
Central U11s Division Two West - WINNERS
Havering U11s League - WINNERS

U12s
It was a memorable season for the U12s as they performed superbly in the Brian Taylor Trophy and then ended the season on a high by claiming the Central U12s Cup. In the group stages of the Brian Taylor Trophy (County competition) Upminster topped the group after wins against Dunmow, Shenfield, Springfield and Coggeshall. They then put in an excellent performance in the last 16 to beat Frenford before unfortunately losing out against a very strong Oakfield Parkonians side in the last eight. In the two Central League competitions that the side entered it was a challenging year. In the U12s Division there were five wins and an eventual finishing position of sixth (from 11) while in U13s Division One there were no wins but two thrilling ties (against Hutton and Harold Wood) as the team finished seventh (from nine). There was yet another tie in the Havering U13s League, where the side finished in mid-table, before September’s Central U12s Cup Final against Brentwood at Upminster Park. Brentwood made 106-5 from their 20 overs and a tense run chase then followed, before Upminster eventually prevailed by five wickets with just two balls to spare. It was a fitting way to end an excellent season for this group!! The squad and their families also enjoyed a brilliant tour of North Devon (alongside the U11s), although the weather meant there was not as much cricket played as hoped for.

U12s Stats:
Played 28
Won 16
Lost 9
Tied 3
*does matches results

U12s Honours:
Central U12s Cup - WINNERS

Girls U11s and U12s
Our Girls U11s and U12s group continued to make huge progress in 2024. The U11s entered the Essex County Competition for the first time and produced some excellent displays. They finished third out of five in a very tough group and their performances improved greatly as the competition progressed. The U11s also won the Central Softball Festival held during the season before coming third in the County Finals Day, and had a great night at the Mini Matchplay at the County Ground, Chelmsford, winning all of their matches. And to top it all off, they got to meet a Knight of the Realm in August as they bumped into Sir Alastair Cook at the David Randall Foundation Festival at Maldon CC. The U12 Girls brought some silverware back to the Upminster Park trophy cabinet as they topped the table in the Central Girls U12 Softball League. Victorious in all of the games they played, the team were deserved winners of the seven team division, with Hutton finishing in second place in the table.

Girls U11s and U12s Stats:
Played 7
Won 4
Lost 3
*does not include festival results

Girls U11s and U12s Honours:
Central Girls U12s Softball League - WINNERS
Central Girls U11s Softball Festival – WINNERS

U13s
A squad that always delivers when the trophies are handed out once again enjoyed a fruitful season. The Central U13s Division One campaign was a frustrating one due to the weather and other factors, but the team did well to end up third in a nine team league. However, the depth of talent in the squad was shown in the Central U13s Division Two West season where the team won seven of the eight games they played, including an excellent win against Billericay, to clinch top spot ahead of Bentley. The side went close to making it two league titles in a season, but they ended as runners-up in the Havering U13s League, finishing just behind an excellent Belhus side. In the Central Cup there was semi-final heartache as Billericay held off Upminster to progress to the final against Brentwood.

U13s Stats:
Played 24
Won 17
Lost 6
Tied 1

U13s Honours:
Central U13 Division Two West - WINNERS
Havering U13 League – RUNNERS-UP

Girls U13s
The Girls U13s enjoyed an excellent season in a number of competitions, the highlight of which was the Central Girls U13s Hardball League where Upminster finished second. Losing just one game, the side were unlucky to finish just behind Hutton in the table. In the County Hardball competition there were three wins from five games which saw the team end up second in a very competitive group, while in the National Cup there was a win against Orsett and Thurrock before a second round defeat to Billericay.

Girls U13s Stats:
Played 11
Won 6
Lost 5

Girls U13s Honours:
Central Girls U13 Hardball League – RUNNERS-UP

U14s and U15s
It was great to see so many of this squad playing senior cricket in 2024, and with some success, but they also had excellent seasons in a number of junior competitions. For the U14s the season was frustrating, with a number of concessions in the Sir Alastair Cook Trophy meaning the team just played one group game (a victory). In the quarter-finals there was a low-scoring thriller against Chingford with Upminster eventually being squeezed out by two wickets. The U15s enjoyed consistent league campaigns in two competitions, finishing six from eight in the Central U15s League and fifth from eight in the Havering U15s League. There was more luck in the Central U15s Cup though, where the side battled through three rounds to set up a local derby against Harold Wood at Central Finals Day. A brilliant game took place with Upminster narrowly failing to chase down their target in the final over.

U14s and U15s Stats:
Played 19
Won 9
Lost 10

U14s and U15s Honours:
Central U15s Cup – RUNNERS-UP

Girls U15s
The Girls U15s enjoyed an outstanding season, finishing with two trophies to their name and a number of brilliant performances. In the Central U15s Girls League, Upminster went unbeaten, putting in an excellent performance against nearest challengers Hutton, to claim the title. They then faced Hutton in the Central Girls U15s Cup Final and at the end of a brilliant contest came out as winners to secure the Central League and Cup double. There was also a brilliant run to the Regional semi-final of the National Cup. The side battled through four rounds, including two brilliant wins against Chelmsford and Ealing, before losing out to a powerful Richmond side. There was also three wins from four in the group stage of the County competition, but the team missed out on progressing to the knockout stages on net run-rate.

Girls U15s Stats:
Played 13
Won 11
Lost 2

Girls U15s Honours:
Central Girls U15 Hardball League – WINNERS
Central Girls U15 Cup - WINNERS

U16s
There was semi-final heartache for the U16s who looked for much of the season like they may match the 1996 and 2007 squads and go all the way to the final of the Matchplay. Upminster topped their group courtesy of wins against Hornchurch and Billericay, and then cruised past Newham in the last eight to set up a meeting with Wanstead and Snaresbrook at Upminster Park. Unfortunately Wanstead proved to strong and Upminster’s wait for another final appearance goes on for at least one more year.

U16s Stats:
Played 4
Won 3
Lost 1

U17s
One of the highlights of the entire season came at Upminster Park in early September as the U17s claimed the Central Cup with a brilliant win against Harold Wood……….not that many could see it!! With the light fading quickly, Upminster’s bowlers and fielders held their nerve to see off a spirited batting chase from Wood and claim the trophy in front of a big crowd. It was a just reward for Dave Siggins and his side who have narrowly missed out on a number of honours over their journey through junior cricket, but who this time deservedly took the glory. The team also finished as runners-up in the newly formed Central U17s League.

U17s Stats:
Played 6
Won 5
Lost 1

U17s Honours:
Central U17s Cup – WINNERS
Central U17s League – RUNNERS-UP

U19s
A really tough group was handed to the U19s in the Ravi Bopara Trophy and two defeats were suffered. However, it was great to see this side continuing to play cricket together and hopes are high for improved results in 2025.

THANK YOUS
To play 230 matches and claim so many trophies a lot of work is required from a lot of people!! Therefore, a huge thank you is due to everyone involved in junior cricket at the club. The list of people involved is endless, but thanks to the coaches, umpires, scorers, grounds-staff, pitch co-ordinators and of course the parents who spend countless hours of time and energy ferrying our young players to games and training sessions. And a special thank you to the Team Managers who give up many hours a week, in the summer and beyond, to make sure so much cricket is played and that the club’s junior section continues to be amongst the very best in the entire country.

A note of thanks also to those who run and organise competitions at the Central Essex Youth Participation Group, the Havering Cricket League, Essex Cricket in the Community and the ECB.

We look forward with anticipation to the 2025 season, and in the meantime have the small matter of 150 indoor games for our juniors to enjoy.