North Middlesex CC have been the most successful club in the county over the last two seasons, with the senior section reaping the rewards of a monster youth set-up. Social secretary and committee member Nick Friend reveals the secrets behind their success.
Profile
North Middlesex CC
Established: 1875
League: ECB Middlesex Premier League
Bio: A Clubmark-accredited North London club with five senior teams and more than 250 juniors
How much of an emphasis do you place on bringing through the youth?
We now have a real core of guys across the senior section who have grown up playing together. It has been a special time; we’ve gone from being a relatively small club with three teams, all operating outside of the top tier, to having five very successful sides, four of which are in their highest possible leagues. Our first team have finished third in the Middlesex Premier League for the last three years and have won the county 50-over and 20-over competitions on multiple occasions. The second team have won their top division three years in a row, and the third team just won a second title in four years.
Based on points accumulated per team, we have been the top club in the county for the last two years. What is even more rewarding, though, is how we have done it. Even in the first team, where it is less common to have a real homegrown feel to it, we fielded one league line-up last season with eight or nine guys who started here as juniors.
What have you done socially to develop this ‘one-club’ mentality?
We found that a huge part of persuading juniors to get involved with Saturday cricket is about ensuring that they are comfortable around the senior guys. We introduced a fantasy league a couple of years ago, which has been fundamental to this process. It has meant that first-team stalwarts are desperate to know how the fifth-team youngsters had got on. It has raised a significant amount of money for the club in entry fees, while this year’s champion donated his winnings to the club.
We run taster sessions for local primary schools and for some years now we have hosted a competition for local Haringey Schools in partnership with Haringey Schools’ Sports. In 2018, over 20 schools competed in this event. Because many of the competing schools had no or limited coaching experience, the club’s coaches offered a coaching course ahead of the competition. This winter we worked with a local girls’ school to procure the installation of cricket nets in their sports hall. We are now using those nets as part of our indoor training programme and offering to work with the school’s PE teachers to give their girls opportunities to sample cricket.
