It has been a season to remember for Mill Hill Village Cricket Club, with both its 1st XI and 2nd XI sealing promotion in the Saracens Hertfordshire Cricket League.

MHVCC 1st XI (pictured) were crowned champions of Division 5B, edging out Potten End, Clifton and Flamstead in a league that was tightly contested until the final weekend. Captained by Daniel Potter, the 1s won their last nine fixtures - after losing five of their opening nine - to cap a remarkable turnaround to the season and as winners jump to Division 4B for the 2023 season. Potter said: “To win nine in a row to clinch the title by such a tight margin [just four points] is amazing. Everyone played their part.”

It was less tight in Division 8B as MHVCC 2nd XI, captained by James O’Sullivan, were the frontrunners for most of the season, winning an impressive 14 of their 18 matches. The 2s’ much-vaunted bowling lineup regularly skittled the opposition and were invariably able to get their side out of trouble if the batters posted a low total. They jump up two divisions to play in 7B next year.

Director of Cricket Philip Smith said: “What a season! To get a division title win from both the 1st and 2nd XI in the same year is a really fantastic result for the Club.”   

Club President Richard Downes declared it “the best season the Club has seen since 1990.”

Success this season will feel extra special for MHVCC as the club closes in on its £45,000 fundraising target so it can build some outdoor cricket nets in time for next season, a development that will benefit juniors as well as seniors. “With a new state-of-the-art double bay nets facility due to be erected very soon, the future continues to look rosy,” Smith said.