A review of the 2026 season in the YCSPL

 

Sheffield Collegiate were the outstanding team for most of the season, setting down an early marker with a comprehensive win over 2025 champions Cleethorpes in April. Openers Abdul Faseeh and Jack Timby were in the divisions top ten run-scorers, and Faseeh was missed at the end of the season when Collegiate lost their last two league games, then narrowly lost to Richmondshire in the White Rose Yorkshire champions semi-final; Jamie Carrington was their top-wicket-taker with 48. Cleethorpes were 32 points clear of their nearest rivals in second place, just ten points behind Collegiate. Cleethorpes’ Josh Knapton had a fine season with 53 wickets, whilst new signing Muhammad Aamir weighed in with 39; and Tom and Nic Keast both passed 600 runs at the top of the order. The Meggies also won their first YCSPL T20 title, beating Wakefield Thornes in the final. Just 18 points separated third and ninth places in the table, and Whitley Hall, who competed with Cawthorne for third place for much of the season, won out in the end. Muhammad Ashraf impressed with 512 runs and 30 wickets, but it was very much a team effort by the Baxter Field side. Cawthorne, whose end of the season was marred by various absences, slipped to seventh place in the last week, but overall they had a very good season and reached their first K3 Dental Cup final. The returning Connor Fisher and newcomer Biswick Kapala both had fine seasons for Tickhill, who will probably have been disappointed not to have put pressure on the leaders. Wakefield Thornes, who finished fifth, had three outstanding performers in leading wicket-keeper Waqar Hussain, who was also in the division’s top ten run-scorers; James Rhodes, second highest run-scorer; and skipper Matty Taylor, with 51 wickets and 362 runs. They and Cawthorne ended on 160 points, along with Doncaster Town, for whom Harsha Rajapaksha scored 585 runs and took 31 wickets. Wickersley Old Village’s recruitment paid off, with the division’s top wicket-taker in Mayank Mishra (55 wickets), who joined from Cleethorpes, also contributing 571 runs, and Mike Jepps provided a solid presence at the top of the order; Abdul Qayoom also had a fine season with the bat, and they were safely ensconced in mid-table throughout the season. Appleby Frodingham had a poor start to the season and for a time looked as if they might get drawn into the relegation battle, but with the division’s top run-scorer, skipper Alex Grimes (895 runs), and two others in the top six (Paras Ratnaparkhe and Kieran Lindley – who also took 34 wickets) and the evergreen Paul Hilton, who was third in the bowling chart with 52 wickets, they pulled well clear in the end. Sprotbrough were engaged in a three-way battle with Hallam and Whiston Parish Church to stay in the division, and won out in the end, not least due to the efforts of Parteek Khasa (635 runs and 51 wickets), with honourable mentions also for Joe Toole and Nicky Graves with bat and ball respectively. Hallam’s stay in the division ended after two seasons; whilst Andre Bradford was the third top run-scorer with 735 runs, they lacked strength in depth and struggled from the start, as did Whiston, who make an immediate return to the Championship. 

 

 

There was no doubting Ackworth’s status as the top team in the division, and they wrapped up their promotion on 15 August. Skipper Luke Townsend was their outstanding performer with 743 runs and 46 wickets, whilst Jerome Bossr and Dale Longfield were both in the division’s top ten run-scorers and wicket-takers respectively. They also beat Sheffield Collegiate 2nds to regain the T20 Plate title they won two years ago, and they reached the Northern Area finals in the national competition. Ali Zaryab set a new League record with 1,423 runs for Barnsley Woolley Miners, but after he returned home, the Shaw Lane men struggled somewhat, and needed to win their last game to hold off Shiregreen's challenge and make a quick return to the Premier Division; Max Heseltine was their leading bowler with 31 wickets in his first season as a first-team regular. Shiregreen had an excellent sdecond half of the season, which sdaw them win the Whitworth Cup for the second time in four seasons; Muhammad Rameez was the league’s joint top wicket-taker with 62, whilst opener Haris Khan contributed 691 runs. Arsalan Mir (743 runs and 42 wickets) was outstanding for Elsecar, who were in the mix for most of the season before falling away in the closing weeks. Coal Aston, in their first season back in the Championship, had an excellent season and finished fifth; overseas player Regan Sheahan (737 runs and 49 wickets) was outstanding for them. Aston Hall were in fourth place for much of the season, before being overtaken by Shiregreen and Coal Aston at the end, and had the second-highest run-scorer in Muhammad Khan (875 runs). As with the Premier Division, there was a three-way battle at the lower end of the table, between Doncaster Town 2nds, Oughtibridge War Memorial and Rockingham Colliery. Oughtibridge lost their battle at the end of August, but Rockingham’s remarkable last day win at Ackworth and Doncaster’s defeat at home to Barnsley meant that Rockingham escaped from the second-bottom spot they had occupied all season. It was a significant slip for Doncaster, who had finished fourth in 2025. Of the bottom three, Rockingham did have the outstanding performer in Lasith Lakshan (660 runs and 43 wickets). 

 

 

Like Ackworth in the Championship, Warmsworth clinched promotion on 15 August. They led the table throughout, losing only twice, and had the division’s top wicket-taker in Kyle Humphrys (58 wickets – as well as contributing 665 runs) and the second-highest run-scorer in James Loveridge (874 runs). Wath occupied second place all season, and finished 30 points behind Warmsworth; they had the league’s top all-rounder in Syed Shah (1,018 runs and 49 wickets), whilst Jason van Dyk was third in the division’s run-scorers with 788. Whitley Hall 2nds never gave up, and were 14 points behind Wath in third place at the end; Sam Chatterton, with 667 runs, was their outstanding performer. England over 50s’ Steve Foster is one of the greats of South Yorkshire cricket, and he scored 739 runs and took 31 wickets for fourth-placed Treeton, for whom Amir Shahzad was the division’s second-highest wicket-taker; they would have been disappointed not to be challenging for promotion. Mathew Lowe (716 runs) and Samuel Grant (48 wickets) were the top-performers for fifth-placed Conisbrough. Frickley Colliery made up the top half of the table in sixth place, a very creditable achievement in their first season in the division after achieving promotion from Division 2 in their first year in the YCSPL, Jordan Bowers scoring 765 runs for them, and they also won their first YCSPL cup silverware, the Mick Savage Memorial Trophy. West Bretton found life tough in their first season in the League, and finished bottom, with Wickersley Old Village 2nds eight points above them in the other relegation place. 

 

 

At one stage or another, eight teams were in promotion contention in this hotly-contested division. Champions Norton Oakes achieved back-to-back promotions, pulling away in the run-in to finish top by 16 points. Skipper Joshua Cross led the way (505 runs and 42 wickets) in a solid all-round team performance. On the penultimate Saturday, Thorpe Hesley & High Green clinched the second promotion spot, an improvement of seven places on 2025; with two bowlers in the division’s top ten, Oliver Law and Ashley Reynolds, and Keagan Thiele as their top run-getter. The remaining six of the promotion contenders finished within ten points of each other; with Sheffield Collegiate 3rds, promoted from Division 3 last year, in third place and boasting the division’s second-top wicket-taker, Ben Fielding (50). Fourth-placed Hatfield Town had the division’s top run-scorer, Joshua Hartfield (709 runs), and a point behind them were Norton Woodseats, who had the top wicket-taker, Blake Stocks (51). Millhouses Works and Penistone were level on 160 points, two ahead of Elsecar 2nds. At the other end of the table, Wakefield Thornes 2nds endured a miserable season, with just three wins, and finished next to bottom, despite having the second-top run-scorer, wicket-keeper Harley Cushan, with 704 runs. Two points below Thornes were Hallam 2nds, these two sides having dropped significantly from last year’s fifth and fourth respectively. 

 

 

Another club to achieve back-to-back promotions were Division 3 champions Coal Aston 2nds, thanks in particular to bowlers Shaun Trower (55 wickets) and Eliot Tye (42), both in the division’s top five wicket-takers. In was a similar story at second-placed Darfield, for whom Saman Kursheed was the League’s joint-top wicket-taker with 62, whilst Nathan Kitchen weighed in with 45. Having held second place for a large part of the season, Frecheville Community will be disappointed to miss out on promotion by just four points; Ashan Lakmal and Daniel Kempton both passed 500 runs for them. Higham, 32 points further behind in fourth place, had some of the division’s top performers in the division’s top run-scorer Ryan Bagshaw (676 runs), skipper Glen Burden in third place with 601, and Gareth Kilburn, with 41 wickets. Three were relegated from this division, the second XIs of Rockingham Colliery, Sprotbrough and Wath. Second-bottom Sprotbrough won more bonus points than any other side (44), showing that that they were well in contention in many of the 16 games they lost. 

 

 

Another tightly-contested division, in which Whiston Forge came out on top of the six clubs that were fighting for the two promotion places. Crowned champions on the penultimate Saturday, Forge were yet another to achieve back-to-back promotions, and were well served by new signings Harrison and Owen Struggles, the former with 484 runs, just three behind their top-scorer, Omar Waine, and Owen with 333 runs and 33 wickets; whilst a key strength was the way in which their lower order batsmen pulled them out of difficult situations. Sheffield University Staff, who missed out on promotion on a conditional issue last year, sealed the second promotion spot on the last day; Sabeethan Kanagasingham was their top run-scorer and Waqas Tanveer was fourth in the division’s top wicket-takers. Kexborough finished third, level with the Staff on points, but lost out having won one less game, despite having the division’s top two bowlers in Matty Bowering (54 wickets) and Thava Nigathan (47), whilst Bavasuthan Selvanayagam was the division’s fourth-highest run scorer with 622. Stocksbridge, Ackworth 2nds and Thorncliffe & Wentworth all finished within ten points of the second promotion spot. Ackworth had the division’s top run-scorer, Dave Harris (895 runs) and the third, Alex Clemo (733). New club Pledwick finmished the season in a very creditable sixth place, with James Eastlake third in the division’s wicket-takers. Treeton 2nds’ Robbie Broomhead was up amongst the League’s top run scorers all season, and finished with 791, sandwiched between the Ackworth pair. Four teams were relegated from this division, including Bradfield Village Fellowship and Sheffield Caribbean, who both suffered second successive relegations. 

 

 

Wombwell Main made an immediate return to Division 4 as champions; Elliot Mann was the division’s third-highest run-scorer with 604, and they had two of the top ten bowlers in Mark Mustill-Hope and Ben Reeves. Second-placed Waverley were 28 points behind the leaders, but 34 ahead of their nearest challengers, and they were another club to achieve a double promotion; Jerin Varghese (50) and Vishnu Das Devadas (49) were the top two wicket-takers in the division, and they also had the top run-scorer in Sajid Hussain (719). The next five clubs all won eleven games and were separated mainly by bonus points; of them, third-placed Silkstone United led the way. Amongst the others, Sheffield Collegiate 4ths’ long-serving Charlie Wall was the division’s second highest run-scorer with 621 and Penistone 2nds’ Matt Scholey the third-highest wicket-taker with 43. Five clubs were relegated from this division, of which bottom side Barnby Dun were also relegated from division 4 the year before. 

 

 

Newcomers Sheffield Centralians took the division by storm, losing only one game, and winning the President’s Trophy by beating Sheffield Caribbean in the final, for good measure. The chief architects of the club’s success were Adeeb Khan (897 runs) and Muhammed Khan (755), the latter also being fourth on the wicket-takers’ chart with 44. Parkhead 2nds were 40 points behind them in second place, but 16 points ahead of their nearest rivals, and were well-deserving of their second successive promotion; their top run-scorer, Nathaniel Sloane, was third in the division list with 678 runs. Third-placed Green Moor had two of the division’s top six run-scorers, Satvir Singh and Scott Jones, both of whom passed 600 runs, Singh also being second in the bowling chart with 50. Whiston Parish Church 2nds, who finished fifth, had the division’s top run-scorer, Shadab Ahmed, with 692 runs. This division was the most affected by the increased relegation to accommodate nine new teams in 2027, with six of the 12 sides being relegated, including Sheffield United 2nds, who made an immediate return to Division 7, and Conisbrough 2nds, who suffered a second successive relegation, despite Tom Humphries’ 376 runs and 49 wickets. 

 

 

Stocksbridge 2nds made this division a one-horse race, also losing just the one game, and finishing 44 points clear of the rest to claim the one promotion spot; James Hague (350 runs) and John Musgrove (41 wickets) were their top performers in what was a real team effort. Wombwell Main 2nds finished just above Higham 2nds in second place; Ryan Linney, of fourth-placed Mexborough Athletic, was one behind Musgrove in the bowling chart with 40; James Andrews of fifth-placed Rockingham Colliery 2nds, scored 677 runs, over 200 more than anyone else in the division; and Houghton Main 2nds, in sixth, had two out of the top ten in both the batting and bowling charts, Kye Jay Kitching and Ryan Atkinson in the batting and bowlers Gul Safi and Gulagha Sadiq. Adwick-le-Street skipper Matthew Eades was the division’s second highest run-scorer with 447, but was unable to prevent his side being one of the three that were relegated. 

 

 

Six of the division’s ten sides were newcomers from the former Yorkshire & Derbyshire League, and one of those, Sheffield Medics, won the division’s single promotion place by 30 points. Their top batsmen, Arun Urs and Ali Cheema, were first and third respectively amongst the division’s run-scorers, each totalling over 400 runs. Coal Aston 3rds were runners-up, their successes owing much to the bowling of Wayne Base (39 wickets) and Josh Lester (32). Third-placed Allama Iqbal were just two further points behind, and relied heavily on the batting of Sajjad Ali (422 runs) and Wasiqullah Niazi (360). Manu Satheesan of fourth-placed The Chronicles England was joint-second amongst the division’s wicket takers with Adam Bryant of Brookhouse. Fifth-placed Sheffield Super Kings had three of the top six run-scorers in the division in Pavan Gannerla, Guhan Marimuthu and Pranesh Sankar – Marimuthu also contributing 40 wickets. Sheffield Centralians 2nds finished bottom and were one of the three relegated sides, despite boasting the division’s top wicket-taker in Mayank Gahlot (43). 

 

 

Frickley Colliery 2nds were worthy champions, finishing 26 points clear of fellow-promotees Eden Madras Parklands. Their leading wicket-taker, Corey Hawkesworth (43), was second in the division overall, and they had two others in the division’s top ten, including Luke Malone, who was also the fourth-highest run-scorer in the division with 507. Mrinmoy Borgohain was the star player for Parklands, with 293 runs and 40 wickets. Third-placed West Bretton 2nds’ strength was their batting, and they boasted the division’s top three run scorers in John Hubery (789), Curtis Gates (650) and David Hoyle (519). Sixth-placed Pledwick 2nds had the top wicket-taker in David Cocliffe (45). 

 

 

Champions Waverley 2nds won back-to-back promotions, losing only the one game and finishing 40 points ahead of the field, thereby emulating their first team, to achieve a double promotion for their club; Belgin Thomas (438 runs) was their leading run-scorer, and Sreejith Babu (37 wickets) their top bowler. They also beat Darfield 2nds to win the Billy Oates Memorial Cup. Sheffield Spartans inflicted Waverley’s only defeat, on the last Saturday, to earn the second promotion place; Spartans' Shabir Ali was the division’s top run-scorer with 574 and his 37 wickets made him third in the bowling list, whilst Waqar Hussain (446) was third in the division’s run-scoring. De la Salle finished eight points behind Spartans in third place and they had the division’s second-highest run-scorer, Robin Scaife, with 488. Majad Hussain took 44 wickets for Handsworth 2nds, the most in the division, but was unable to stop them being relegated. Freddie Rowbottom of Elsecar 3rds was second in the wickets table with 41. 

 

 

The division’s champions were Sheffield University Staff 2nds, who finished 22 points above second-placed Kexborough 2nds, and the third side in the promotion places were Fishlake 2nds. The Staff had three of the top ten in both the division’s run-scoring and wicket taking, with Ciaran Hanvey (397 runs) their top run-scorer and Chris Stride (38 wickets) their top bowler. Kexborough’s Thomas Green was the division's top wicket-taker with 43, whilst Ben Whitehouse, of fourth-placed Dearne, was the division's top-run-scorer with 659 runs from only 13 innings. 

 

 

It was also a double promotion for Whiston Forge CC when their second XI finished as champions of this division, and they had the top wicket-taker in Andy Smith (42). They were 30 points clear of their nearest rivals, Tickhill 3rds, and four clear of the third promotees, Frecheville Community 2nds. Luke Young of Tickhill was the division’s top run-scorer with 547, whilst Mike Rose of Richmond was second with 512. Richmond finished sixth, and we are sorry that they have decided that they are unable to continue to function. 

 

 

It has been an interesting and eventful season, largely blessed with fine weather, and we hope all our players, officials and spectators ‘winter well’, and hope to see them all again next season.