2022 YCSPL preview - part II
Posted on 13th April 2022 at 17:16
Having achieved a top six finish in 2021, Elsecar will be hoping to challenge in the top four this time. Last season’s overseas player, Pakistani all-rounder Kashif Naveed, and the Premier Division’s leading wicket-taker last year, Moin Ashraf, will again be key players, and they are augmented by the arrival of Bilal Anjam from Doncaster, who could prove to be the signing of the year. Experienced wicket-keeper Paul Fenn has also joined from Treeton. Skipper Peter Hadfield will also hope that Jack Shutt will be available from Yorkshire CCC more this season. The second team will target promotion from Division 3. Off the field, there is a newly-refurbished tearoom bar at the Al-Murad Stadium.
Eden Grove Parklands endured a very difficult season in 2021 due to ongoing Covid issues. In 2022, they will return to fielding two sides, in Divisions 7 and 9, and will hope to challenge at the top of both. Ithshaam Akram and Ijaz Khan have joined from Hampole & Skelbrooke, Anthony Cator from Bentley, and Ashley Grace from Rossington.
The first team at Frecheville Community suffered relegation from Division 2 last season and will be looking to bounce back at the first attempt in 2022. The second team narrowly missed promotion from Division 7, so they will be aiming to do their bit to make it a double celebration season. The club welcome back several players who were injured in 2021, and look forward to the continued development of some of the younger players who made contributions last season.
After a remarkable rise through the divisions in recent seasons, Green Moor’s first aim is to consolidate in the Championship. Two stand-out performers in 2021 were Callum Johnson, who won the Division 1 league batting award, and Wayne Hughes, who finished second-highest run scorer, and they, along with Chris Matthewman, will hope to ensure that the Chapel Lane side can post sufficient totals for the bowlers to bowl at. They also hope that younger players James Christopherson and Dan Airstone will continue their progress of last season.
2021 was a tough season for Hallam’s three teams, all of whom were relegated. The club will be hoping that all three will bounce back and go straight back up from the Championship and Divisions 2 and 5. As always, the accent will be on players who have been produced through the club’s excellent junior system. Three players to look out for are Ed Burch, an exciting young off-spinner who bowled extremely well in the Premier Division last season; Jay Singh, who got his first taste of second XI cricket last year and opened the bowling for most of the year; and Will Laycock, who won the Division 4 junior batting award last season. Batsman William Newton has joined the club from Hundall CC.
Another club that endured a difficult 2021 were Hampole & Skelbrooke. In 2022 their targets are to broadening their playing squad and consistently fielding a full team. To this end, they have made two young new signings from Brodsworth Main, brothers Keigan & Jake Vickerage.
It will be Hatfield Town’s first season in the YCSPL, so they are a bit of an unknown quantity to us. They hope that their first team will achieve a solid mid-table position in Division 2, and that the second team will achieve promotion from Division 8. Two players to look out for are batsman Ellis Pattison, who they will hope to score heavily, by more fully capitalising on regular good starts, whilst opening bowler Owen Edwards is a real handful on his day.
The main target for Houghton Main will be to go one better than 2021 and finish the top two of the Championship, whilst they will be hoping for good cup runs in both the Whitworth & Village Cups. An exciting new arrival is Barbadian fast-bowling all-rounder Teriq Worrell, whilst Lee Tarbuck also joins from South Kirkby. The club has strength in depth, with Michael Brown and Brent Law in the division’s top ten batsmen last season, as were Imran Khan and Michael Bates in the divisional bowling charts.
Higham are an ambitious club whose teams challenged for promotion from Division 4 and 7 last season. They have now added the experienced Alex Morris to their ranks, and as their talented younger players continue to develop, will hope that at least one of the teams can go one better this time.
Kexborough will target a promotion challenge from Division 3 for their first team. They are pleased to welcome back experienced batsman Adam Wiles from Cawthorne, and will look to a balance of youth and experience in the first team. The batting line up looks strong on paper; and the evergreen Neil Hinchliffe will lead a well-balanced attack that performed well last season. As in previous years, success will depend on player availability, due to working shift patterns and also this year, due to weddings. The main target for the second team is to continue nurturing the young talent at the club.
In recent years, Mexborough Athletic have suffered from a high turnover in the playing squad for a variety of reasons, including family commitments and work. During the winter period they have made positive progress off the field, and on the pitch have made a couple of welcome additions in John Hubery from Worsborough Bridge and Paul Sherif from Wentworth. The target for the first XI is to make a positive start to the season and to be in contention for promotion at the business end of the season. Two to watch are Owen Sargison and Owen Brinton, who both graduated through the club’s junior set up and now have the experience in the locker to thrive and provide very positive contributions this season. The main aim for the second XI is to consolidate their position in Division 7 and to develop young players for the future.
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