League Ambassadors & Life Members
In its' inaugural season, the League appointed two Ambassadors, whose main role is to represent the League at matches and functions, and seven life members. Sadly, one of those seven Life Members, Alan Phelan, passed away in 2022.
League Ambassadors
Terry Bentham
Terry Bentham has been a leading figure in South Yorkshire cricket since 1975. That was the year he started umpiring in the Doncaster League, moving into the South Riding League a year later. As an umpire, he was appointed to the Minor Counties List, the ECB 38 County Competition Panel, and umpired several games in the latter stages of national competitions. After umpiring over 1,200 games, he is now an umpires’ observer and mentor to new and young umpires. He has worked tirelessly to drive up umpiring standards, and increase recruitment of umpires, which has benefited all involved with the game in South Yorkshire. Terry served the SYSCL committee for many years, including as Chief Executive and latterly as League President, and as its representative to the Yorkshire Cricket Council, served as its President for two years. He was also instrumental in paving the way for the incorporation of SYSCL teams into the Yorkshire South Premier League.
Ray Knowles
Ray Knowles started his playing career as a youngster at Armthorpe Welfare in the old Doncaster League. A talented wicket-keeper batsman, he went on to play for and captain Askern, Warmsworth and Rossington, where he played until retiring in 2003. Shortly after that, he was approached by Frank Richardson to take up umpiring, and stood initially in the SYSCL and then on the Yorkshire League panel. During this time, using knowledge he gained as a police officer, Ray became an expert on child welfare issues, and soon became acknowledged as the county’s leading expert on the subject. He was appointed as County Welfare Officer, in which role he investigates safeguarding complaints, gives advice to club safeguarding officers, and delivers Safe Hands training across the county. He was a founder member of the committee of the Yorkshire South Premier League as the League's Safeguarding officer.
Life members
Matt Dixon
Matt Dixon was a respected off-spin bowler with Sheffield Collegiate CC, whose first team he captained for 12 seasons. He was elected to the committee of the former Yorkshire League, and was instrumental in the inauguration of the Yorkshire South Premier League in 2016. Matt served as vice-chairman of the YSPL committee and was a League representative on the newly-formed Yorkshire Premier Leagues Management Board.
He stepped down from both these roles at the end of the 2018 season due to the demands of his young family and the law practice that he set up in 2015.
Brian Fletcher
Brian Fletcher has been actively involved the administration of cricket in South Yorkshire for almost 50 years. After being nominated as delegate to the South Riding Cricket League for Whiston Parish Church CC in the early 1970s, he soon became a member of the League Management Committee. Brian became the first chair of the new rules revision committee in 2000, continuing this role until it was merged with the cricket committee in 2018. He was elected SYSCL President in 2014, and held this post until the merger with the YSPL. Brian was the President of the Yorkshire Cricket Council in 2017 & 2018.
Richard Storer
Richard Storer joined Hallam CC when his profession as an English Teacher took him, to Sheffield, and, by 1987, he had become secretary, a position he still holds today. Under his guidance, the club has expanded from two senior sides and three junior teams to six senior sides, two Sunday sides, a midweek and indoor team, and 14 junior teams. Richard was influential in Hallam becoming the first club to gain the Clubmark accreditation in Yorkshire and also in the redevelopment of derelict land at Crimicar Lane. Richard’s passion and commitment to junior cricket has seen him play a vital role in the development of a vast number of current players across South Yorkshire. Without his selfless dedication to Hallam CC, the club may not have survived the 1990’s, when the amalgamation he drove with Waterworks CC laid the foundations for what Hallam CC has become today.
David Ward
David was vice-chairman and Senior Section Head in the inaugural League Executive Board, taking over as chairman from Matt Summerhill in November 2021, holding the position until standing down for personal reasons in November 2024. He was previously Chief Executive, Vice-Chairman and Cricket Committee chairman of the SYSCL. In his playing career, David was a batsman for the Stocksbridge, Bradfield, Worsbrough Bridge and Oughtibridge clubs. A tireless worker for the game, he is an experienced umpire and is the ECB ACO regional appointments officer for the north of England, including the YCSPL.
David was formerly a manager for Tata British Steel, and remains closely connected as a trustee with the Stocksbridge Works Sports and Social Club Park Steels club.