Woodford Wells Under-15s reached the national finals after beating Bexley in the ECB Nat West London and South Eastern England finals in Horsham.

Despite being pitted against the hosts, and subsequent fans’ favourites, in the first round, Woodford overcame them.

Thanks to an early nerve-settling wicket from Peter McDermott, this led the way for more wickets to be taken.

The biggest tally came from Joseph Morgan, who took four – including an impressive hat-trick.

Woodford then kept their composure to ensure Horsham were bowled out with 8.4 overs to spare, taking themself into the next round against Bexley.

Woodford Wells completed the day in style, ending their 20 overs on an impressive 154 for four.

Bexley were unable to chase down such a high total as Woodford booked their place in the national finals on Wednesday, August 24.

The club’s rich vein of form started last month when they won the Dennis Peter Essex Cup following a final victory over Brentwood.

A half-century from George Styles, along with a good innings from a number of his team-mates, ensured they reached a total of 120.

Three wickets from Matthew Reid, Evans and Yusaf Sohoye, as well as two from Chirag Pithia, sealed the victory for the Wells. It was the first time they had been crowned champions of Essex.

This resulted in them qualifying for the County Cup Championship where they hosted Buckingham winners Gerrards Cross.

Their bowling performance was particularly impressive, keeping Gerrards Cross’ score down to 86 for seven after 20 overs.

Despite losing Styles early on, Woodford won the game with 5.1 overs to spare.