Northop Cricket Club is a club with a long history and a bright future.

It is believed the sound of leather on willow has echoed around the Flintshire village in North Wales from the Flint Road ground in the shadow of the parish church of St Eurgain and St Peter since the 1870s.

And today that long history is continuing and thriving.

As well as the 1st XI and 2nd XI in the North Wales League, the club is only one of a handful to field a 3rd XI to bridge the gap for teenagers between the end of junior cricket at U15 level and senior cricket.

The club, under the leadership of past chairman Phil Evans, has made the development of junior cricket for youngsters from aged seven to fifteen a top priority in the past decade with investment in training facilities and qualified coaches.

That input has reaped its rewards with Northop producing a string of Welsh internationals in a number of age groups and a crop of youngsters for North East Wales squads.

Northop is probably enjoying its most successful period in its long history with a thriving playing and social membership.

The construction of a new pavilion and car park, courtesy of the former Delyn Borough Council, at the beginning of the 1990s put the club at the heart of the community and enabled the committee to utilise the facilities to generate income to plough back into improvements both on and off the field.

To cement the achievements and help to ensure the good work will continue, Northop was awarded the ECB Clubmark Accreditation in September 2009.

The current Chairman Mike Hughes was appointed to the position in November 2009.