Crouch End Cricket Club have been confirmed as champions of the Middlesex Premier League for the 2026 season, achieving a superb double after they also were crowned Middlesex T20 kings earlier in the season. Their five-wicket win over Richmond at a sun-dappled Calthorpe Ground capped a superb summer for the club and adding another gleaming line to a trophy cabinet that has rarely looked so full.

It is the latest chapter in what has become a golden era for the North London side. Crouch End were first anointed Middlesex Premier League champions in 2021, and they arrived at this season on the back of winning the county's T20 crown in 2025. By achieving the double in 2026, Crouch End are now without doubt the most dominant force in the county.

The title race itself was true to MCCL form: tight, twisting, and packed with contenders. Crouch End spent much of the season locked in a battle with the usual heavyweights of the division — Hornsey, Teddington and Richmond - with fortunes swinging from week to week, exactly the kind of "topsy-turvy" campaign the league has become known for.

On Saturday, in a game they simply had to win to seal the title, Crouch End were asked to bowl by third-placed Richmond who set out to lay down an imposing 50-over total to chase. That strategy was soon in tatters as the visitors slumped from 28-0 to 44-7 thanks to some incredible seam bowling by Pratik Patel (4-28) and Upen Shantu (3-31) backed up by flawless fielding. Despite James Nelson’s undefeated 35, the visitors could only post 102 as Shaariq Sheikh (3-21) sliced through the lower order.

Facing a routine chase but with a huge crowd watching on and naturally some nerves in the air, Crouch End started well before slumping to 49-4. However, a calming unbeaten knock of 27 from keeper-batsman Will Burridge was perfectly timed. When he slashed Mo Chaudry (2-38) to the cover boundary to confirm a five-wicket triumph, it sparked joyous scenes amongst spectators and players and a fitting denouement to a brilliant campaign.

Indeed, there will be time for further celebrations at The Calthorpe Ground, but Crouch End's players and management know the hard part now is standing still at the top. Retaining a Premier League title in a division this deep is arguably harder than winning it in the first place — just ask any of the clubs who have gone before them.

For now, though, this is a moment for Crouch End to enjoy: Middlesex Premier League champions, once again.