Clubs' bulletin no 11 of 2024 - 27 September 

2025 fixture planning 
 
Fixture planning for the 2025 season is upon us and, as ever, we need information from clubs to allow us to compile the fixture list and carry out the various cup draws. We would be grateful if you could answer the questions in the online questionnaire as accurately and as completely as possible. 
 
Please do not respond until you have all of the relevant information (subject to ensuring that you respond by the deadline below). Could you also please ensure that we receive just one response from your club – multiple responses risk giving conflicting information. 
 
Please respond no later than midnight on Tuesday 22 October 2024, using the online questionnaire
 
For ease of reference, the questions in the questionnaire are: 
 
Club name 
How many Saturday teams will you be entering in the 2025 season? 
Are there any changes to your home ground(s) location for the 2025 season? 
Are you sharing a ground with any team which is not part of your club? 
The League season will commence on Saturday 19 April 2025 and finish on Saturday 13 September 2025. Please indicate any Saturday dates within this period that your home ground(s) is/are not available to host a fixture. Note that all teams competing in Premier Division, Championship Division, Division 1 and Division 2 MUST be able to host a home match for every Saturday in this period. Where the usual ground is not available you must nominate a suitable alternative venue before the deadline above. Fixtures cannot be moved from the allocated dates. 
Cup dates are yet to be established, pending finalisation of the ECB National Club Championship and ECB National Club T20 dates. Please indicate any Sunday dates from Sunday 20 April 2025 to Sunday 14 September 2025, where your home ground is unavailable or you are unable to play any YCSPL allocated fixture (Cup or League). 
The T20 Plate (teams of clubs not in the Premier Division), Presidents Trophy (teams in Divisions 3 to 5) and the Billy Oates Memorial Cup (teams in Divisions 6 to 9) are on a 'opt out' basis. Please confirm whether your club wishes to ‘opt out’ or ‘opt in’ to these competitions - no response will be deemed ‘opt in’. 
Please indicate whether you wish to be considered to host any of YCSPL’s finals in the 2025 season (usually held in August/September) 
Any other issues that you feel it would be useful for us to know as part of the planning of the 2025 fixtures (eg, other Leagues you play in; W&G cricket; Junior cricket; religious festivals which may preclude cricket, etc.) 
 
Annual General meeting 
 
The formal notice of the League AGM on 13 November has now been issued. Any proposals for league officials or rule changes need to be sent to Roger Pugh by 12 October. The agenda and full information for the meeting will be published by 23 October. 
 
Ball ordering arrangements 
 
For clubs' Reader ball orders for the 2025 season onwards, there will be a new ordering process for all YCSPL clubs to use, including those in the W&GL. Clubs will order and pay directly to Readers, using the company’s online order process, that will have a page specifically for our clubs to use. Balls will still be delivered to the League, and distributed at the Pre-Season Meeting and mid-season in the normal way. 
 
To order balls, clubs must first register on the Readers website at https://kookaburra.formstack.com/forms/south_yorkshire_cricket_league 
 
Cup final postponements 
 
The National T20 Plate final, between Ackworth and Old Elizabethans, was postponed and now will be played in 2025, with the date and venue to be confirmed. The K3 Dental Cup final, between Castleford and Sheffield Collegiate, was also postponed and will be played on a date to be confirmed next season. The President’s Cup final, between Rockingham Colliery 2nds and Sheffield Collegiate 3rds, is to be played on Sunday 26 May. 
 
Final League tables 
 
The final league tables for 2024 have now published. We congratulate all our divisional winners and promoted teams, and we hope that those teams that have been relegated will bounce back quickly. Now that the promotional relegation issues are settled, Matt Summerhill has published the Divisional Structure for 2025. 
 
Hall of Fame 
 
Nominations for inductions into the League Hall of Fame must be sent to Roger Pugh by Monday 14 October. We don’t need anything fancy by that point – just enough facts to make a decision. 
 
League presentation dinner & awards night 
 
The 2024 League presentation dinner will be held at OEC Sheffield on Saturday 9 November. The online order form for places must be completed and submitted by the deadline of 21 October. 
 
League trophies 
 
All League trophies must be returned either to Linzey Scothern or to MS Sports by 30 September. 
 
New Community Club Development Manager for Barnsley & Doncaster 
 
Sharon Butcher has been appointed as the new YCB Community Club Development Manager for Barnsley & Doncaster. Sharon has been with the cricket board for just over two years and has a wealth of experience within cricket and sport development. 
 
Over the next few months Sharon would like to come and meet with leagues, clubs and partners to help support and drive the development of the game within the Barnsley and Doncaster area. Sharon looks forward to working with our clubs – please give her a good welcome!