The storms that washed out cricket across London last weekend did at least allow Stoke Newington to draw breath.

Twelve games into their breathless debut season in the third division of the Middlesex Championship, with 10 wins under their belt, the club’s rise continues apace – and they are already planning the next stage.

“Stoke Newington has come a long way in a relatively short period of time,” says Robert Chadwick, the in-form batsman. “Since it started in 1999 the club has expanded, improved and sought to develop cricket in the area. A few people playing catch in Clissold Park has snowballed with hundreds of kids now making up the youth section which train all year round and is regarded as one of the most successful, not just in north London, but in Middlesex.”

As of next year there will be three adult men’s teams, with two playing in the Middlesex leagues, one in the North East London League and a midweek ‘Last Man Standing’ side. That will be matched by a new pavilion on Hackney Marsh, the club’s home ground that is hoped will one day host the only nets in the borough.

Chadwick says the club must develop girls’ cricket. “The Under-10s and Under-11s are the Middlesex champions and a girls’ section is also flourishing,” he continues. “Within the colts section there are plenty who have gone onto further honours, representing district and county.”

Simon Hore, an instrumental figure in the club’s evolution and a volunteer youth coach for 16 years, says: “When I first started out there was just a handful of kids coming along to training. Now there are hundreds, and we keep winning trophies, playing attractive and attacking cricket to boot.”

First XI captain Scott Doody says: “We want to get the adult section to such a standard that when our youth players are old enough, they will have every opportunity to play a high standard of adult cricket with Stoke Newington, to really test them and continue to improve as people.”

The club want to close the gap between the adult and youth teams by creating links between the two sections. Involvement in the Under-21 Middlesex Development League helps achieve this.

“Having reached the semi-final last year we hope to go one better, and play North London in the quarter-final this Sunday,” Chadwick says. “The game is at Hackney Marsh and promises to be an exciting encounter, we hope to see you there!”

n Stoke Newington is an inclusive community club that is always looking for new players of any standard. For more information on joining, visit their website at www.stokenewingtoncricket.com.