Old Southendian celebrate "best ever season" as four teams win titles

The club’s first, third, fourth and under 17 teams have all been crowned league champions while their second team finished runners up.

Their under 11s also won their play-off final and chairman Chris Sorrell is rightfully proud of the impressive results.

“It has been a magnificent season, the best in the club’s history,” said Sorrell.

“The success this season has been the culmination of a process that started when we moved to Garon Park in 2016.

Brilliant season - for Old Southendian & Southchurch (Image: NICKY HAYES)

“We have attracted some very good players to the club that have blended in extremely well and the camaraderie and ethos that has served the club so well for so long remains as strong as ever.

“We have outstanding facilities, a very stable committee, hard working captains and also importantly a very good team of coaches headed up by Andy McGarry who will be hard at work with all our young players from November onwards.”

The club’s first team led the way in Essex League Division Two, finishing 36 points clear of second placed Aztecs.

And skipper Max Craddock has been delighted with his side’s level of consistency.

“I’m really proud to have captained my boyhood club and incredibly proud of the boys,” said Craddock.

Full of smiles - Old Southendian's youngsters (Image: NICKY HAYES)

“Everyone has bought into the things vice captain Matt Darvill and I wanted to set out as our standards.

“Everyone has really done themselves proud in their performances this season and not one player hasn’t stepped up when needed this year.”

And Craddock was particularly keen to praise the impact made by three of his team.

“I must make special mentions to Hafiz Yawer who had another great year with the bat scoring 692 runs and Hardik Varma who has signed his contract back home to go pro,” said Craddock.

“He scored 444 runs and took 38 wickets while Ahsan Yousaf broke the club record taking 51 league wickets.”

Old Southendian completed their league campaign with a 10 wicket win at Oakfield Parkonians on Saturday as both Varma and Yawer scored unbeaten centuries.

But Craddock knows it will be tough to secure similar success in Division One next season.

“The step up will be big and having come straight back down when we were last in Division One in 2021 we know it won’t be easy,” said Craddock.

“But we are a very different side now, with a lot of youngsters coming through.

“Dylan Batt, Luke Clarke, Callum Powrie and Shaurya Singh who are all under 17, played really important parts for us this year and no doubt with our Academy stuff that goes on throughout the winter they will keep improving.”