MIDDLEWICH Cricket Club’s successful season at all levels includes the first XI securing successive promotions.

After going up from Cheshire Cricket League Division Two in 2023, they have secured promotion from Division One this year.

This means that they return to the Cheshire County Cricket League in 2025 for the first time since 2016.

It caps a superb year for the club, whose junior section success story was reported in the Guardian last month.

Despite the first two matches being washed out by the spring downpours, the first XI quickly confirmed themselves as promotion candidates and were rarely out of the top two in the league, eventually finishing as runners up to champions Warrington.

Strong bowling performances were the mainstay of their success, with Philip Parry (49 wickets), Ryan Jones (34 wickets) and Kieran Boyle (33 wickets) leading the way.

All three finished in the top 10 leading wicket takers in the division.

Caleb McLaren was the fourth highest run scorer in the division with 654 runs in his debut season.

The team was captained by Nick Gill, who is understandably thrilled by the team's success.

Additionally the second XI finished a creditable seventh, and the third XI a commendable joint second in their respective divisions.

Club chiefs feel there is a direct correlation between the ongoing successes by the junior section in this - and previous - seasons and the resurgence in the fortunes of the senior teams.

The pathway between the juniors and seniors has been growing increasingly productive, with former and current junior players making significant contributions within the senior set-up and is something which the club are proud of and aiming to continue.

Additional support and coaching is being allocated to that purpose.

There was success aplenty throughout the junior age groups this year – whether that was through trophies won or simply recruiting more youngsters to play the game.

The club’s under 11s swept all before them to complete an unprecedented perfect season, winning all 17 of the matches they played and recording a league and cup double in the South Cheshire Junior League – the first time this has been achieved.

The under 13s finished runners-up in both the South Cheshire and Cheshire County leagues while across the club, more than 100 junior matches were played at all age groups from under 9s right through to under 19s.

Numbers attending the club’s ECB All-Stars and Dynamos programmes for the youngest players increased for the third year in a row.