As the curtain comes down on another fantastic summer at Claygate Cricket Club, it is a great opportunity to reflect on what has been another successful season for our thriving junior section.

With over 60 junior members representing the club and 36 matches played across our age groups, there was plenty of cricket, plenty of learning and, most importantly, plenty of fun throughout the summer. From league challenges and nail-biting finishes to individual milestones and team success, 2026 was a season to remember.

U14 Girls Shine

The standout team performance came from our Under-14 Girls, who enjoyed a superb season and finished 2nd in the Surrey Junior Championship Tier 2 North West League.

Winning five of their ten fixtures and competing strongly against some excellent opposition, the girls recorded notable victories against Hampton Wick Royal, Weybridge Vandals, Chessington and Cobham Avorians. Finishing runners-up behind a strong East Molesey side was a fantastic achievement and one everyone involved should be proud of.

There were some outstanding individual performances too. Grace Cursiter produced the highest individual score of the season with a magnificent 76 against Hampton Wick Royal, while Molly Preston contributed an unbeaten 33. Grace also enjoyed an excellent all-round season, finishing with 93 runs and 4 wickets.

U14 Boys Continue to Develop

Competing in the Surrey Junior Championship U14 Tier 3 Central Division, the Under-14 boys finished 5th out of 6 teams. However, the league table doesn't tell the full story, with several closely contested matches and plenty of evidence of improvement throughout the season.

The team recorded wins against Hampton Wick Royal and Chessington and continued to develop as a group throughout the summer.

Ben Nkrumah led the batting charts with 144 runs at an average of 72.00, including scores of 49* against Chessington, 42* against Hampton Wick Royal and 40 against Chessington earlier in the season.

Other notable batting contributions came from Effie Smith (83 runs), Oliver Hamilton (79 runs) and Molly Preston (78 runs).

With the ball, Harry Grosvenor topped the wicket-taking charts with 8 wickets, including superb figures of 4-11 against Chessington. He was well supported by Isobel Sutton and Angus Thompson, who each claimed 7 wickets during the season. Angus also produced excellent figures of 3-1, one of the bowling performances of the year.

U13s Fight Hard All Summer

The Under-13s competed in the Surrey Junior Championship U13 Tier 3 Sunday Central Division, finishing 7th out of 9 teams.

While the league position may not reflect their efforts, the season featured a number of impressive performances and some extremely close matches. Victories over Thames Ditton, Long Ditton and Ewell highlighted what the side was capable of, and many players made significant strides in their development during the year.

Bowling performances were a particular highlight. Angus Thompson claimed 3-2 against Long Ditton, while Adam Ampleford took 3-4 in the same fixture. Eddie Flemming also produced a memorable spell of 3-13 against Ewell.

U10/11s Enjoy Another Strong Year

Our Under-10/11 side continued to make excellent progress throughout the season, finishing 3rd in the Surrey Junior Championship U10-11 Smash It Central League.

While league tables are secondary at this age group, the team put in some excellent performances across the summer and showed tremendous enthusiasm and improvement. The side competed well against strong opposition, developing both their cricket skills and confidence with every game.

Several matches went down to the wire, and the experience gained this season will undoubtedly stand the players in good stead for the years ahead. More importantly, the players represented Claygate brilliantly, played the game in the right spirit and continued to enjoy their cricket throughout the summer.

U9s Take Their First Steps

The youngest competitive side at the club embraced every opportunity to play cricket this summer. The Under-9s continued to develop their skills, learn the game and enjoy representing Claygate CC.

Watching their confidence grow throughout the season was one of the highlights for coaches, parents and supporters alike.

Team Finishing Positions

Girls U14: 2nd in Surrey Junior Championship Tier 2 North West
Boys U14: 5th in Surrey Junior Championship Tier 3 Central
U13s: 7th in Surrey Junior Championship U13 Tier 3 Sunday Central
U10/11s: 3rd in Surrey Junior Championship U10-11 Smash It Central
All Stars and Dynamos Success

Away from competitive cricket, Claygate once again ran a hugely successful All Stars and Dynamos programme, welcoming over 100 children to the club for weekly coaching sessions.

The programme remains a vital part of introducing youngsters to cricket and provides a fantastic pathway into our junior teams. The energy and enthusiasm on a Friday evening at the Rec continues to be one of the best sights of the summer.

Thank You

A junior season on this scale simply would not be possible without the support of so many people behind the scenes.

A huge thank you goes to Nigel, Tony and Oscar at Platform Sports for their coaching of junior cricket at Claygate. Their backing helps provide opportunities for young cricketers and supports the growth of the junior section.

The biggest thank you of all must go to Patrick Willard. From coaching sessions and matchday preparation to organising teams, communicating with parents and helping keep the entire junior section running smoothly, Patrick has once again dedicated countless hours to the club. His enthusiasm, commitment and tireless hard work have played a massive part in making the 2026 season such a success.

Volunteers like Patrick are the lifeblood of community cricket, and everyone at Claygate Cricket Club is incredibly grateful for everything he does.

Finally, thank you to all our coaches, team managers, scorers, volunteers, parents and supporters who make junior cricket possible every week.

Most importantly, thank you to all of our young cricketers. The effort, enthusiasm and sportsmanship shown throughout the summer have been a credit to the club.

With talented players coming through every age group, the future of Claygate Cricket Club looks extremely bright.

Well done to all our juniors on a fantastic 2026 season, and we look forward to seeing everyone back at the Rec in 2027.