Hornchurch Cricket Club were crowned champions of Europe at the end of a stunning week in Spain.

Victory over Jersey's Old Victorians in the grand final saw the 2023 Hamro Foundation Essex League champions raise the glittering silverware at the Cartama Oval.

And long-serving Marc Whitlock, who led the side in the absence of injured captain Billy Gordon, says they do not want to stop there.

"It was brilliant to be part of a great side and most importantly a great bunch of lads," said Whitlock.

"I can’t believe in my time at the club the amount of trophies we’ve now won!

"The last few years we've been Treble winners, League Cup winners, T20 Essex champions, Conference Cup winners, National T20 Cup winners and now European winners.

"We now need a massive push to try and get that National 40-over Cup. It's the only cup we haven’t won at club level. That would be amazing to finish off with.

"When we won the treble I didn’t think it could get any better, but to be national champions and European champions - any club player would love to be able to say that.

"We're determined to defend the European next year and we're not easing up. We're hungry for more trophies!"

Club chairman Jeremy West echoed those sentiments, adding: "We're a very special club - what a fantastic achievement. It was a total team effort.

"The impact we had with the fans was unbelievable. We were determined after last year and to win all eight was a great achievement.

"Well over 1000 club go into it throughout Europe and they really do it well, they're lovely people.

"The boys were so determined and professional, the fielding and catching was superb. It's an honour to win it. I was told there was around 10 million people watching it worldwide."

Having won their first four matches in Malaga at the start of last week, Hornchurch faced defending champions Dreux in a repeat of the 2023 final.

Mohammad Irfan struck with the first ball and Harry Hankins picked up 4-17 as the French side were held to 111.

Knowing a win inside seven overs would secure top spot in the group, Hornchurch raced to their target as Jalpesh Vijay hit an unbeaten 60 off 22 balls and Irfan muscled 27 off seven.

The final group game against Old Vics saw Hornchurch amass 173-7 as George Hankins hit 84 off 24 balls, including 13 sixes.

Adeel Malik (3-16) led the way with the ball as the Channel Islanders reached 134-8, before the sides met again in Qualifier 1 on finals day.

Irfan removed the dangerous Jonty Jenner second ball and struck again to leave Vics floundering on 3-2, before Harry Hankins got in on the act.

Another Irfan (3-7) wicket made it 17-4, before Vics recovered to post a modest 82-6.

Hornchurch lost wickets quickly in reply, but Malik and Harry Hankins took them to the brink of a victory which was secured with 14 balls to spare.

Vics piled up 209-1 on the way to beating Brescia by 83 runs in Qualifier 2, which meant they provided the opposition again in the grand final.

Choosing to bat, they lost Jenner first ball to Irfan and Julius Sumerauer two balls later as Hornchurch took control.

Good fielding restricted Vics to 93-5 this time, with George Hankins and Vijay taking 44 off the first three overs in the Hornchurch reply.

Vijay fell with the score on 50, with Irfan following for a duck, but Malik kept his cool and Hankins kept clearing the rope to reduce the target to 10 from 18 balls.

A tight eighth over yielded just three runs, before Malik was caught on the boundary.

But Lesbourne Edwards guided his first ball down to third man, allowing Hankins to smash another six high into the leg side to secure an eighth successive win of the week and sporting immortality.