2026 season preview

The YCSPL Premier Division looks very open this season, with any of up to eight sides that could be in the mix come the end of the season. Champions Cleethorpes have two exciting signings; highly-rated Lincolnshire off-spinning all-rounder Nic Keast, younger brother of wicket-keeper and opener Tom; and Pakistani seam-bowling all-rounder Raza Ullah, subject to his visa application. On the minus side, they have lost the League’s joint top wicket-taker in the last two seasons, Mayank Mishra, to Wickersley, whilst veteran opener Bill Kirby has retired, and batman Harry Warwick and bowler Hayden Tice have moved on. Last season’s runners-up, Whitley Hall, have brought in Zain Attique from Caribbean Sports, George Cowan (Doncaster Town), Ibrahim Shakil (Whiston Parish Church) and Nathan Swift (Warmsworth), whilst Muhammad Qaisar Ashraf returns to Baxter Field after an impressive 2025. Opening bowler Biswick Kapala has moved on to Tickhill. Wakefield Thornes, in third place last season, have signed Waqar Hussain, a Pakistani wicket-keeper/top-order bat from Multan; opening bowler Vinnie Ogden has joined from Tickhill; all-rounder Monty Mckenzie, a Leeds University student, has signed; and left-arm spinner Luke Badeley has joined from Cutthorpe CC. Joe Billings and Dylan Hurst have moved to London due to work commitments. It is very much the mixture as before at Sheffield Collegiate, with prolific opening bat Abdul Fseeh returning for a third term. 

 

There have been a number of changes in personnel at Tickhill, where Ronan Hermann, a South African wicket-keeper/bat, will be the overseas professional; Biswick Kapala joins from Whitley Hall and Harvey Wootton from Treeton; whilst James Stuart returns after spending 2025 in Australia. On the debit side, Jordan Lowe, Ibrahim Safi and Michael Jepps have moved to Wickersley Old Village, and Danyaal Khalid to the Huddersfield League. Alec Grange has joined Appleby Frodingham from Shiregreen, to take over the wicket-keeping duties from Drew Sylvester, who is away until August due to work commitments. Leg-spinning all-rounder Paras Ratnaparkhe joins the Brumby Hall side as overseas professional, whilst opening bowler Matt Harris has moved on to pastures new. Doncaster Town have brought opening bowler Joel Gunn back to Town Fields from Cuckney, and the club have appointed former Notts and Derbyshire all-rounder Mark Fell as Director of Coaching. Cawthorne have signed Pakistani seamer Naqeebullah as their overseas professional and welcome former Yorkshire Academy all-rounder George Booth from Barkisland; top-order bats Oliver Bennett from Barnsley Woolley Miners and Ben Simpson, who returns to Dark Lane after spells at Greenmoor and Wickersley Old Village; off-spinner Jake Holling, who returns to the club after a spell at Shelley; and left-arm spinner and top-order bat Ikram Naseri from Oughtibridge War Memorial. They bid farewell to Rizwan Sidiq, Syed Hassan, and Azam Shah. 

 

There have been several signings at one of last season’s promoted sides, Wickersley Old Village, including leading all-rounder Mayank Mishra from Cleethorpes; Jordan Lowe, Ibrahim Safi and Michael Jepps from Tickhill; and Gareth Purshouse, who returns from Lindum CC; which should ensure that they keep well clear of the relegation zone this time round. Stabilty and young player development are key at Hallam, where Sam Davidson returns, and opener Alex Hughes retires. Promoted Sprotbrough retain last season’s joint-top wicket-taker Parteek Khasa as their overseas, and bolster their squad for their debut Premier Division campaign with the addition of talented young opening bat Zaki Anjam from Aston Hall. The other promoted side, Whiston Parish Church, have secured all-rounder Bhargav Merai as their overseas professional from Doncaster Town, to replace Arman Jaffer, who suffered a serious cruciate ligament injury back home; experienced top order bat and slow bowler Mark Cummins joins from Treeton and Isaac Spencer-Jones and James Butler have joined from Wickersley Old Village. 

 

In the Championship Division, Ackworth finished just four points short of promotion last season, and with last years’ squad remaining in place, will aim to finish in the top two. They welcome South African left-hand bat Jerome Bossr and have signed Ollie Mitchell from Frickley Colliery. South African seam-bowling all-rounder Curtley Louw joins Elsecar to spearhead their promotion bid with a talented squad under new skipper Callum Higgins. Young fast bowler Rehan Ahmed has also signed from Sheffield Collegiate. Evergreen Jason Meadows has ‘finally’ retired and takes over as club chairman. Barnsley Woolley Miners’ bid to return to the Premier Division will be spearheaded by Ali Zaryab, a Pakistan ‘A’ left-handed bat and right-arm spinner. Boeta Beukes’ side have lost Owen Smith and Oliver Bennett and will rely heavily on their talented young players. To strengthen their bid for immediate promotion back to the Premier Division, Shiregreen have signed Muhammad Rameez, a left-arm spinner from Ossett; Omer Khan Shinwari, a leg-spinning all-rounder from Undercliffe; and Fazil Reza, a middle-order bat from Wath. 

 

Promoted Upper Haugh have recruited wicketkeeper Leo Irwin from Brodsworth Main; Bilal Hanif and Alfie Spurr, from Shiregreen and Darfield respectively, who will bolster the top-order batting; and all-rounder Renaldo Braithwaite joins from Houghton Main. Fellow newcomers Coal Aston have recruited New Zealander Regan Sheahan, a left-arm all-rounder, and whilst they have lost opening bowler Oscar Oborne-Corby, who is unable to return due to visa issues, the rest of their double promotion-winning squad remains in place and they will aim to consolidate in the division. The three second XIs, of Sheffield Collegiate, who have recruited a young Australian overseas, George Marks; Doncaster Town; and Tickhill will remain competitive. 

Aston Hall welcome top order bat Muhammad Kahn as their overseas, and hope that their excellent squad of young talent, including Ollie Wainwright, Dex Ward, Henry Renshaw, Ali Ahmed, and Stan Ashton will all build on their successes so far. Lasith Lakshan returns from Sri Lanka for his third year with Rockingham Colliery, who have signed Sam Whitlam from Wath and Nazakat Khan from Aston Hall, and will want to build on last year’s eighth place. Oughtibridge War Memorial have strengthened by signing Indian all-rounder Vikas Dixit, who has previously made an excellent impression at Houghton Main; Mustafa Hussain from Shiregreen; Zayn Wasim from Aston Hall; Ali Shah from Treeton; and the Bradfield pair of Harry Crossley and James Shepherd. 

 

There will be real competition for the promotion places in Division 1. Treeton are determined to bounce straight back after their relegation and have recruited widely, including overseas Flynn Walker from Melbourne, a left-arm strike bowler and hard-hitting bat; Amir Shahzad, a genuine pace bowler and hard-hitting middle-order bat with Kashmiri Premier League experience, who has signed from Undercliffe; former Darfield skipper and top-order bat Joe Stickland, along with former team-mate and middle-order bat Spencer Lavender; Jack Fleetwood, a consistent middle-order bat from Kiveton; talented leg-spinner and former Notts CCC junior, Liam Johnsen; talented young cousins, Izaan & Hisham Ali, the former a fast-bowling all-rounder, and the latter a leg-spinning stroke-player; and young seam bowlers Harry Marshall and Owen Taylor from Wickersley Old Village. The club also welcome back Andy Firth in a manger-coach role. Andy was a key part of the club's glory years in the 1990s, and is seen as central to their rebuild. Harvey Wootton has moved on to Tickhill and Mark Cummins to Whiston Parish Church. Wath will also be determined to bounce straight back, and have recruited Jason Van Dyk from Johannesburg; Imran Shah from Darfield; Micky Denton from Rockingham Colliery; and Murad & Yousuf Ghani from Upper Haugh CC. Leaving the club are Sam Whitlam (Rockingham Colliery), Fazil Reza (Shiregreen), Matty Bowering (Kexborough), and Luke Roddison; whilst club stalwarts Alex and Ben Roebuck have retired. Conisbrough will hope to make as promotion push after adding experience and talent to a young squad. All-rounder Samuel Grant is an Australian overseas signing from Bankstown in New South Wales; Travis Cresswell and Jonathan Redfern join from Doncaster Town; Seb Carter joins from Morley and Nathan Lovell returns to the club after a short stint with Mexborough. The club bade farewell to Buddhika Sanjeewa, a real mainstay for the past five seasons. Promoted Frickley Colliery further strengthen their squad with Jake Taberner and Chris Bird from Hemsworth MW; Kieran Dinnage from Upper Haugh; Harrison Stephens from Bentley Colliery; and Connor Boulton from Featherstone. They can expect to be in the mix at the end of the season. 

 

Joe Yellott from Whiston Parish Church and Zain Ali from Barnsley Woolley Miners will add more depth to the Wickersley Old Village 2nds squad, and they will aim make a promotion push this time. Former Oughtibridge War Memorial star Dilshan Sukumar has joined promoted Parkhead from the Huddersfield League and overseas Riyaad Azhar, a wicket-keeper/bat from Pakistan, will strengthen the side for their campaign after last season’s promotion. Houghton Main have secured Barbadian Overseas Teriq Worrell; batsman Waris Abbas from Frecheville Community; Kye-Jay Kitching returns to the club from Darfield, as does Ryan Atkinson from Thurnscoe. Newcomers West Bretton have signed Callum Bailey and Alex Gough from Barnsley Woolley Miners; Lewis Northrop from Darton; and Greg Watson & Curtis Gates from Higham to strengthen their side for their first YCSPL campaign. Monk Bretton welcome Luke Ogden from Cawthorne; Elliott Burnett from the Notts Premier League; Dean Whitfield coming out of retirement after six years; whilst South African Overseas Joshua van Oudtshoorn returns as skipper. They will aim to improve on last season’s eighth place. Jordan Clayton has joined Darfield and Ryan Howarth has gone to Higham. 

 

In Division 2, Mark Wilkinson has joined Barnsley Woolley Miners 2nds from Worsbrough Bridge to take over the captaincy, bringing with him Lewis Wilkinson and Zarmash Tarakhil to bolster their squad. Penistone have made an impressive addition to their squad in experienced all-rounder Sam Askey from Shepley and they will hope to bounce straight back into Division 1. The club also look forward to the completion of their new pavilion in 2026. Thorston Cody Morkel, a hard-hitting young South African batsman, joins Elsecar 2nds; Callum Johnson takes the reins as skipper and Craig Moffatt returns to the club from Scholes & Harley in a player-coaching role. After last season’s promotion, Hatfield Town are pleased to welcome some returning faces and new talent to the club. Blake Blythe and James Nolan have returned from Barnby Dun, whilst Oliver Cummins joins their ranks. On the debit side, Andy Cutts has decided to retire and Josh Yemm has moved to Fishlake. Thorpe Hesley & High Green have re-signed top-order bat Naeem Bashir from Shiregreen; the club look forward to having Tom Parker behind the stumps again this season; and they hope that John Ashton will return after last season’s injury, as they aim to keep clear of the relegation fight this time round. Promoted Norton Oakes welcome top-order bat Nqobile Sibanda, from the Midwest Rhinos in Zimbabwe as their overseas for 2026. 

 

Continuity is the name of the game for Millhouses Works in Division 3, and their squad should be strong enough to mount a serious bid for immediate promotion back to Division 2. Higham welcome Ryan Howarth from Monk Bretton; Wilf Brooke from Bedminster; Mark Smith from Sandal; and Ryan Bagshaw and Daniel Walters from Cawthorne, whilst Greg Walton and Curtis Gates have moved to West Bretton. Intent on further improving their facilities and to coping with growing community demand for facilities, have applied for permission to further extend their pavilion. Frecheville Community will be hoping to make a promotion push and welcome a second Sri Lankan overseas player in consecutive years, as all-rounder Ashan Lakmal joins them for 2026. Newly-promoted Sheffield University Staff will, as ever, have a host of exciting new arrivals to choose from. They have a new skipper in Waqas Tanveer; Heston Christian returns to India following the expiry of his visa; and the club has added a third XI that will compete in Division 9. Worsbrough Bridge welcome new signings Rafique Shan from Mexborough Athletic; Shoaib Yousaf, after going well in the Rotherham Super League; Israr Nazir from Sheffield United; and Jithin Viji Joseph, who returns to the club after a season away at The Chronicles of England. Mark Wilkinson, Lewis Wilkinson and Zarmash Tarakhill make the short move to Barnsley Woolley Miners. Darfield, who dropped down two divisions after finishing third in Division 1 last year, following numerous departures from their squad, have recruited Charlie Potter from Wombwell Main; Jordan Clayton from Monk Bretton; Brooklyn Whitmill from Wickersley Old Village; and Josh Barrick from Worksop. Herbi Singh Lali returns Oughtibridge War Memorial to captain their 2nds. 

 

Stocksbridge, in Division 4, are building a state-of-the-art new pavilion at Bracken Moor, which is due for completion in the autumn. All-rounder Joe Hibbert returns to the club from Oughtibridge War Memorial. Thorncliffe & Wentworth have recruited several players to help them make a promotion push. Richard Berry joins from Wickersley Old Village; Pete Lomas from Rockingham Colliery; Jamie Triandafillithis and Mathew Blackman arrive from Mexborough Athletic; and Dan Shillito is welcomed back a few years away. Soham Gate has returned to India. New club Pledwick from the Pontefract & District League will be an unknown quantity, but watch out for James Eastlake, a hugely talented 20-year-old all-rounder who is expected to be a real game-changer; and Jake Marshall, another quality all-rounder, who completed his first full season with the club last year, winning the Player of the Year award. After last season’s promotion, Whiston Forge are delighted to welcome Owen Struggles, Harrison Struggles, and Dale Stanley to the club after making the short trip ‘down the hill’ from neighbours, Whiston PC. The club also hope to have Kristian Lee-Green available for up to ten games mid-season. Matty Bowering returns to Kexborough after spells at Houghton Main and Wath, and Bavasuthan Selvanayagam has joined from Oughtibridge War Memorial. After finishing in mid-table last season, they will hope to mount a promotion challenge. In Division 5, Wombwell Main are delighted to welcome Mark Hope from Selby, who will bring experience and class to the squad as they aim to bounce straight back into Division 4. 

 

Fishlake are pleased not to have any departures from their Division 6 squad after last season’s relegation, and with Josh Yemm joining from Hatfield Town and Paul Mortimer from Misterton Phoenix they will hope to be in the promotion places at the end of the season. Scholes & Harley will also hope to do well, having recruited Jake Panting, who has recently moved into the area and is tipped to make a real impact; left-arm bowler Lewis Pursglove, a former Scholes player; and Travis Grierson, returning after a stint in Australia. Wadworth have some exciting new faces in Jack and Charlie Proudley from Hooton Pagnell CC who signed last year but were unable to make their debuts due to prior commitments. 

 

The influx of nine new clubs from the now-defunct Yorkshire & Derbyshire League has necessitated the splitting of Divisions 7, 8 and 9 into North and South sections, bringlimng the total number of diviosions in the League to 14. In Division 7 South, new club Allama Iqbal, skippered by explosive bat Sajjad Ali, have signed all-rounder Zahid Momand from Norton Woodseats, and will hope to be in the promotion mix. Brookhouse will feel as if they have two new players with a fully-fit Andrew Brock and Jamie Elliott back in their team for 2026. Eden Madras Parklands, a winter merger of the Eden Grove Parklands and Old Madras clubs, have brought in four players, including Shaukath Ismail and Raja Babar, from Bullcroft Main and will hope to be in the promotion race from Division 8 North. Talented quick bowler Ty Jowett joins Division 9 North side Dearne from Mexborough Athletic, and the club will want to celebrate their centenary with an immediate return to Division 8. They have lost Jamie McTaggart, who has retired from playing.