After several seasons of county, regional and national success at girls’ level, North London have now taken things a step further by entering the inaugural Middlesex Women’s Cricket League.

They played their first fixture on Sunday, welcoming Finchley Gunns to Shepherd’s Cot, and were able to celebrate a resounding victory.

Asked to bat, North London reached 150-4 off their allotted 25 overs, with the main contributions coming from county age group players Maia Harris and Caitlin Deacock, plus useful runs from opener Susan Swales.

In reply, the Gunns struggled against an experienced attack, with Maddy Issitt and skipper Vicky Burt quickly accounting for five wickets between them in as many overs.

Tight fielding, including two excellent running catches by Laura Gardiner, then rounded things off as Finchley were skittled for just 22 runs in the 15th over.

It was a resounding victory for the home side, but sterner challenges lie ahead, starting with a home game this Sunday against Amsterdam outfit VRA, who boast several Dutch international players.

Nonetheless, NL coach Martin Issitt was delighted with the display, stating: “We have a nice mix of ages and experience, with some cricket debutantes turning out alongside the more experienced players.

“Everyone got stuck in and they bonded well as a team. The future looks bright for women’s cricket at North London.”