On Thursday 4th December, Middlesex in the Community hosted the first edition of the North London Community Cup at the Dome Community Centre in Camden. This competition gave young participants aged 8-12, from the Camden Street Session, Chestnuts Park Street Session and Broadwater Farm Cricket Cities Session, the opportunity to show off their skills, and for many of them, the chance to play competitive cricket for the first time. Many of which are new to playing this year.
Each team played each other once, with Broadwater Farm providing two teams, allowing plenty of matches for all the players through the evening. The competition was played using Chance to Shine Street rules, meaning innings are only 20 balls long, which led to lots of action and quickfire games. The format allowed for all players to have a chance to score runs and take wickets, as well as show their skills in the field.
Denise, parent to one of the Broadwater Farm players, said about the tournament:
‘"Maryam is eight, with cricket running through her veins — English, Pakistani and West Indian heritage all mixed together...
"She’s been loving the sessions, so when the chance to join the Camden tournament came up, she jumped at it.
"The whole evening was brilliant — a great venue, a relaxed atmosphere, and teams who were supportive rather than overly competitive. The coaching was encouraging, the team spirit was lovely, and it ended up being such a confidence-boosting experience for my daughter."
Fionn Wilkinson, MITC Community Coach (Street Cricket) and event organiser, added:
“It was a fantastic evening; all players represented their sessions excellently. There was plenty of great batting, bowling, and fielding across the night, and all representatives can be proud of how they competed"
After a close-fought group stage, with many matches coming down to the last couple of balls, Camden came out on top, winning 3 games from 3 and being crowned North London Communities Cup champions. Following the success of the event, plans are underway to host the second edition of the competition in Spring 2026, at a new venue in North London.
