Wanstead and Snaresbrook underlined their position as one of the premier amateur cricket clubs in the country by winning the Essex NatWest Under-19 Club T20.

The Herons, who are sponsored be Keatons Estate Agents, cruised past Colchester and East Essex on Sunday afternoon as they chased down the target of 120 to win by eight wickets at Billericay.

A 92-run opening partnership between Waseem Qureshi and Feroze Khushi broke the back of the chase to bring yet more silverware back to their Overton Drive home.

“This was a fantastic achievement by the boys,” said chairman Martin Pluck. “The players have had to juggle their cricket with their academic commitments this season and this result is testament to both their talent and dedication. We prioritised this new competition at the start of the season and we must congratulate the ECB for embracing a format that excites the younger generation.

“As a club we take our development of junior players very seriously – many of them have represented the county or regional sides in 2015 - and we are proud of the way we offer them a pathway through to adult cricket. Our volunteers and coaches put in more than 3,000 unpaid hours of work this summer and I know they will all take special pride in this result.

“About 90 per cent of our current first team, including the captain, came through the club’s youth section and I’m sure many of the players who featured in the T20 victory will go on and make their mark in the game in the years to come.”

The finals’ day victory rounded off what has been one of the most successful seasons in the club’s history.

While the first team again just missed out on the Essex Premier League title – finishing an agonising five points behind eventual champions Chelmsford – the club picked up three trophies with the club’s second, fourth and fifth teams all topping their divisions.

“The fourth and fifth teams both won in the third XI leagues even though they were primarily playing against other club’s third XIs,” added Pluck. “This allows us to offer many more players a high standard of cricket and means we can introduce young players to a level where they can develop their skills in a challenging but supportive environment.”

It was also another excellent season for Wanstead and Snaresbrook’s Ladies section.

The 'Heronettes' finished second in the North London Women’s Cricket League while there was unprecedented success in the girls’ section as the U13s finished third in the ECB National Competition.