Both teams arrived with big smiles and a relaxed and excited vibe. The teams started watching the second innings of the mixed U10 final with their excitement building. The respective team captains were called forward by the umpires for the all-important toss.

Stoke Newington tossed the coin and South Hampstead called heads and it was ……. heads.

South Hampstead elected to bat first, as they have done in all their indoor matches this competition. The teams gathered together with their teammates and waited for the conclusion of the U10 final.

Stoke Newington and the opening pair from South Hampstead took the field. You could see the positive nervous excitement on the girls faces and then we were off. The first bowl was a dot, the excitement continued to build. The second ball resulted in 4 runs, with the third ball scoring 3 runs.

The opening pair for South Hampstead put on a commanding 53 runs. The next two pairs steadily built the team total, with pair two (23) and pair three (22) putting together 20+ partnerships, resulting in South Hampstead being 2 runs shy of 100 as the final pair took to the field.

The final pair closed out the South Hampstead innings without losing a wicket, taking the score past 100, with two overs to go. The collective team batting effort by South Hampstead set Stoke Newington a formidable target of 126 to win, on a day where only one other team was able to post a score in excess of 100 (that being the victorious team in the mixed U17 competition).

It was now time for Stoke Newington to bat. South Hampstead took to the field looking to defend their total of 125. The opening pair from Stoke Newington put on a confident 20 runs. With the tension building, South Hampstead pulled together as a team. Their bowling and fielding proving too strong (which included a hat trick) with South Hampstead successfully defending their total.

Both teams maintained their smiles throughout the match and presentations that followed. The match was played in a competitive but friendly manner, with players and their fans applauding the excellent cricket that was on display (whether for their team or the opposition) - an excellent example of how cricket should be played.

Women and girls at South Hampstead continue to break new ground. This victory follows South Hampstead entering their first competitive women’s competition (finishing second) in 2025.

South Hampstead looks forward to competing against Stoke Newington through-out the summer and would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to Stoke Newington (and all the other teams that competed in the competition) for the way the match was played. It’s great to see so many young girls enjoying the sport and competing at such a high-level.

Established in 2022, South Hampstead girls programme has gone from strength to strength, with over 80 girls attending our summer and winter training, representing the club in fixtures and attending our popular holiday camps. This has expanded to include the establishment the first South Hampstead Women's team in 2025.