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Mill Hill Village eyes glory in National Village Cup
The club will be one of 300 nationwide to take part — with dreams of a fairytale final at Lord’s in September 2026
Mill Hill Village Cricket Club is setting its sights on countrywide success after entering the prestigious National Village Cup — the world’s biggest amateur competition of its kind.
The club, which achieved an extraordinary five promotions in 2025, will now test itself against village sides from across the British Isles, with the dream of reaching the final at Lord’s in September 2026. More than 300 clubs are to take part.
Foxton Granta, based in Foxton, Cambridgeshire, won the competition in 2025, beating Stayley of Stalybridge, Cheshire. The village cup has been a cherished part of the English cricket season since 1972, with the final played at the home of cricket in St John's Wood, northwest London, each September.
The competition is administered by the Cricketer magazine. Through the cup, the Cricketer aims to raise awareness of the village game and to provide the opportunity for clubs to compete against new teams and make new friends.
Here, club chairman and 1st XI allrounder Sam Smith tells millhillvillagecricketclub.co.uk why he entered Mill Hill Village into the prestigious competition, which for the last five years has been sponsored by broadband company Voneus. A new sponsor will be announced for next year and beyond.
Q&A with club chairman Sam Smith
Q: Why did you want to enter the club into the National Village Cup?
A: I wanted to enter the cup because we have recently had a lot of success in the lower divisions of the Hertfordshire leagues. We have a great team, and I wanted to challenge ourselves against some higher-calibre outfits. It’s also a great chance to play some extra cricket.
Q: Tell us about the competition itself.
A: As far as I understand, it is a 40-over knockout competition, with games played on Sundays. It starts as a regional competition, but if you were to progress further, it becomes national, with the final being played at Lord's. The last time we played there was in 2018, as part of our 150th anniversary celebrations.
Q: What does it mean to you for the club to enter the competition?
A: It’s very exciting to enter a new competition with the club. We have made some great progress over the last couple of years, five promotions in 2025 being the pinnacle of this. This is a great opportunity to pit ourselves against some of the best village teams in the Hertfordshire area and then hopefully beyond. It's a challenge we will all relish.
Q: How far can the club go in this year’s competition?
A: Who knows? We will certainly be the big underdogs in every game we play. But with a bit of luck and a bus full of travelling fans, anything is possible. Just imagine Mill Hill Village being let loose at Lord's!