Stoke Newington Under 11 As celebrate their championship win. Photo credit: Duncan Holden
More than 300 men, boys and girls will be competing under the banner of Stoke Newington Cricket Club this summer as the club looks to build on its best ever season.
Last year was an unprecedented success for the club, with the Under 15s, Under 13 As and Bs, Under 11 As and Under 10s all winning their leagues.
The competition is intense and the standard high, so high that six boys in the past few years have graduated to represent the Middlesex County academy with real prospects of a professional career within the game. The names Joe Kingsley-Smith, Daniel Weekes and Sal Whitehead among others could one day wear the three lions of England.
All of these developments excite club co-ordinator Duncan Holder but he is keen to emphasise that the success is not simply about silverware and glory.
The ex-City lawyer who gave up his career to coach full time takes pride in in how the club is giving Hackney’s cricket enthusiasts a chance to ply their skills.
“We’re providing the opportunity for people in Hackney to play cricket at all levels, which hasn’t always been there. The fact that we play across 10 different venues within the borough and have over 50 volunteers shows you the hunger that exists.”
It is not simply a summer craze, with over 200 young people having taken courses and practice sessions throughout the winter.
The club also boasts successful senior squads. The First XI won the North East London Cricket League last season.
It is a sign of their ambitions that Stoke Newington will no longer appear in the Victoria Park Cricket League, one of five championships that they have historically competed in. Mr Holder sees this as a strategic shift so the Club can “focus on the longer form of the game.”
“The aim is to reach the Middlesex Championship Cricket League which is the highest level for an amateur cricket team in North and East London.”
International ambitions
48-year-old Tom Tannerking, who has played as an off-spinner in the Club’s “Last Man Standing” team for the last three years, praised the work of Mr Holder and the other volunteers in satisfying the appetite for Cricket in Hackney.
“Hackney had a barren patch as far as cricket was concerned, but in the last few years the Stoke Newington setup has provided the platform for people to play and achieve.”
He explained that apart from the hard work the secret lay in Stoke Newington’s willingness to embrace all levels and forms of the game. “Last Man Standing is exciting – it makes Twenty20 look like Test match cricket. We have things like limited run-ups for players and five ball overs and double plays where both batsmen can be out in the same delivery.”
The fact that the winner of the competition participates on the international stage with teams from Australia, South Africa and the West Indies shows the extent of the Club’s ambitions.
And despite these dizzying heights, Stoke Newington is looking ahead to a new season by concentrating on its bread and butter – giving a platform for anyone in Hackney to enjoy cricket.
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