We've come to the end of another cricket season, my second as 1st XI captain, and what a summer it has been for Mill Hill Village. All four Saturday adult league sides gained promotion, as well our new adult Sunday league XI. It simply doesn't get better than that.

The 1st XI put in the hard graft early, with winter nets sessions at Lord's starting in January, and it reaped rewards, as we didn't lose a game until mid-July. We started with a confident away win against Luton Town & Indians in the season opener. Sam Smith started in imperious form with ball and bat, while Marcus Cara was essentially faultless with the ball in hand from match one, resulting in his best-ever wicket haul this year.

Our fielding drills and pre-match warmups bore fruit this season as well, as you could see a clear jump in standards every Saturday. There were, of course, a fair number of catches dropped over the season, but overall, we were much improved this year, and in particular, Jay Nandha (Flamstead away) and Amit Chadha (North Enfield at home) took two catches that will stay firmly in the memory for years to come.

As the season went on, our long-standing batting stalwart and former skipper Danny Potter got better week by week, and at times looked like he was the only one who could get himself out. He finishes the season with an average of just over 50. It has been a pleasure to watch him go about his business this year, especially alongside his opening partner Sumit Jadav, who hit a lovely run of form in the second half of the year and played some great knocks.

In the return fixture against Luton Town at our place, chasing 205 to win, Sam Smith scored an incredible 121, as he battled valiantly to try and keep our unbeaten run intact, but the rest of us sadly couldn't perform as we needed to, and we finished a cruel seven runs short.

There were pivotal contributions throughout the season from everyone. Having our very own spin twins, Amit Chadha and Obaid Ur Rehman, available to us was crucial, with Obaid able to choke down the run rate and Amit looking like any ball could take a wicket. They've again given us a big edge this year, and it's counted at important moments.

Our league victory has been the culmination of a lot of hard work, building better habits, and ultimately, a team spirit and morale that can't be bettered. Our two best batsmen contributed more than 1,000 runs between them, and our two best bowlers took nearly 80 wickets between them. Given that Sam Smith features in both those pairings, he's deservedly taken the Player of the Season award for the second year running, but the teamwork involved in supporting those key players has made this a real team effort. We can not wait for 2026 and Division 4A.

Finally, a big thanks as always to everyone who puts in so much work at the club, to make it what it is. The likes of Phil Smith, Pete Jaffe, Dave Flavell, James Thompson (our very own wicketkeeper and vice captain), Pryank Patel, David Hickey, and others put in so many hours and it is hugely appreciated.

Wishing everyone a great winter break, and next year, we go again.