Tom Brook’s return to Scholes after a two year stint at leading Bradford League outfit Townville spearheads an attempt at reclaiming the Byrom Shield for the first time in nine years. Reigning Champions Moorlands turned to a pair of prolific spinners as they bid to keep hold of the title and a much-changed Hoylandswaine side who have again bolstered their ranks with quality.
In this rundown, we’ll look at each club’s key signings.
Almondbury Wesleyan
The Kaye Lane side have made significant additions to their squad including Josh Hoyle, a 17-year-old leg-break spinner who joins them from Shepley and currently represents Yorkshire's 2nd XI. Mohammed Nabeel, an opening bowler from Holmfirth, with previous experience at Emley, is set to make his debut in the top division. Nabeel made headlines in 2022 when he took a remarkable 9-13 against Elland. He has claimed an impressive 118 wickets in the last two seasons. Corey Marshall, hailing from Ipswich in Queensland, arrives as Almondbury Wesleyans’ UK passport holding overseas player. He adds depth to the team's bowling attack as a right-arm medium bowler and Saqib Matlub brings previous Premiership experience from his time with Armitage Bridge, where he scored over 2,000 runs. He joins the Wesleyans from Denby.
The star of the Wesleyan show is clearly Pragam Sharma, a gun all-rounder from Delhi, to replace the outgoing Danny Moorhouse, and arrives following a season at Hoylandswaine. Sharma, who won the overseas player of the year award in his first season at Thongsbridge in 2022, boasts an impressive record with 91 wickets in his two seasons in the Huddersfield League.
Barkisland
Barkisland made notable additions to their lineup for the upcoming season as they bid to push on from their excellent campaign last season. Milton Greenwood's move from nearby Warley aims to bolster the captain Jake Finch’s bowling attack, backed by his impressive record of over 150 wickets in four seasons. Joining him is Nico Georgiou-Nicola, who arrives from Scholes as a powerful young opening batsman. With an exceptional 2022 season under his belt, Georgiou-Nicola notched up an impressive tally of 726 runs, putting forward his potential to be a solid game-changer at the crease.
Broad Oak
Broad Oak have moved quickly to replace talismanic captain Fletcher Coutts who leaves for New Farnley (Bradford League). One-club man Daniel Rushworth takes over captaincy reigns and has strengthened his squad with Vinura Dulsara debuting as the overseas player for the 2024 season. Hailing from Colts CC in Sri Lanka, Dulsara brings with him a solid batting record, averaging 35.83 in first-class cricket. Additionally, they’ve secured the services of Alex Walker, who returns to Broad Oak from Slaithwaite after a 12 year absence. Walker's experience, especially his spell at Scholes in 2022, adds depth to the team's bowling lineup, and he should provide a valuable asset on the field to the new skipper.
Delph & Dobcross
Newly promoted Delph & Dobcross welcome the return of Wasim Qasim from Stayley to replace Adnan Ghani (Thongsbridge). Qasim is a seasoned fast bowler who previously contributed significantly to the club's success, taking more than 250 wickets between 2015 and 2018. Joining him is Uzzair Shah, a former Scotland U19 opening batsman known for his stylish batting. Shah's inclusion ought to bolster the team's batting lineup and add stability to their top order after frontline batter Mosun Hussain opted to leave for Jer Lane after seven seasons at the club. The team also added keeper Muhammed Ali from Golcar and 6’6” Montserrat all-rounder Stevel Rodney (UK Overseas) to their team, further solidifying their depth in both batting and bowling departments. Captain Nathan Jones expects to welcome back leg spin all-rounder Nayyar Abbas as their overseas man.
Golcar
Golcar captain Jack McNamara has welcomed Arsaam Malik, a formidable top-order batsman who impressed with over 1,000 runs at Saltaire in the Aire-Wharfedale league last season. Additionally, Fez Khan joins up at Swallow Lane, bringing versatility to the middle order after his stay with Lascelles Hall. Khan's experience, coupled with his previous associations with Skelmanthorpe and Lepton, adds depth to Golcar's batting lineup. The Championship title winners also expect to name a Sri Lankan overseas player in the coming days.
Honley
New skipper Eddie Wilson strengthened its squad with the addition of Jonah Thackeray, a promising all-rounder who demonstrated his skills at Armitage Bridge in an impeccable season in 2023. Thackeray's ability to contribute with both bat and ball will bolster Honley's middle order. Meanwhile, Darcy Munro brings an international flair to the team, the Aussie quick having honed his talents alongside Wilson and Timmy Taylor during their stays over in Melbourne. Additionally, Michael Edwards, a towering presence in the bowling department, joins from St Helens Town, bringing valuable experience to the squad and will link up with Munro to lead the bowling.
Hoylandswaine
A rebuild at Haigh Lane has not been short on talent as several notable signings continue to maintain their high standards. Abdul Ameer, a first-class cricketer from Karachi, adds depth to the team's bowling attack with his left-arm seam bowling. Michael Finan (Leicestershire), provides a blend of experience and aggression, providing an explosive presence in the Swaine’s batting lineup. Ben Kohler-Cadmore, formerly of Worcestershire, brings a wealth of experience to the team, having previously played for Hanging Heaton in the Bradford League. Furthermore, Thomas Chippendale's vast experience as a strike bowler, combined with Irfan Muhammad's prowess with the ball, promises a formidable bowling attack for Hoylandswaine who are bidding to wrestle the Byrom Shield back from Moorlands.
Kirkburton
Kirkburton enhanced their squad with the addition of Asif Qayyum, a player with ample experience in local leagues. Qayyum's presence in the upper middle order adds stability to Kirkburton's batting lineup. Furthermore, Alex Clegg's arrival from Clayton West, along with his impressive batting record is expected to claim the gloves from wicketkeeper Johnny Smith. Mohammad Khan's signing from now-folded Elland provides skipper Johnny Butterfield with an additional bowling option and the retention of Roscoe Tahttil ensures continuity and stability in Kirkburton's squad.
Moorlands
Title-winning skipper Eddie Walmsley has looked to add steel to his bowling lineup by picking up two spin bowlers who have both claimed over 300 wickets between them in the past three seasons. He moved quickly to secure the services of Daniel Moorhouse, a prolific spin all-rounder previously with Almondbury Wesleyans. Moorhouse's impressive record of 151 wickets in three seasons makes him a valuable addition to Moorlands, replacing the outgoing Siraj Sajid. The inclusion of Zain Ul-Abdin, a highly rated left-arm off-spinner who impressed at Birkby Rose Hill in the Championship. Ul-Abdin's move to the Memorial Ground comes after a successful three seasons where he claimed over 150 wickets. Walmsley has also added a yet-to-be-named Australian batsman as their UK overseas man as well as a Pakistan first class cricketer.
Scholes
Dynamic all-rounder and home-grown star Tom Brook has made a welcome return to Chapelgate to link back up with his former teammates as they look set to make a strong title tilt. ‘Bruiser’ is known for his competitive spirit and destructive batting. With two seasons at Townville behind him, Brook is set to lead Scholes' bowling attack while making significant contributions with the bat. Furthermore, Benji Birkhead moved swiftly to secure the services of George Barden, a promising batting talent from Championship Shelley to replace the outgoing Georgiou-Nicola. Barden's consistent 1XI performances at Westerley Lane over four seasons will help him hit the ground running.
Shepley
Plenty of change is afoot at Marsh Lane, Shepley with the signings of Sahaj Chadha and Connor Dale, both talented players with international experience, adding depth to their squad. Chadha, hailing from the Delhi region of India, brings versatility as a top-order batsman-wicket keeper and can also deploy a bit of useful leg-spin. Meanwhile, Dale joins from Delfos Cricket Club in Johannesburg, South Africa, adding steel to Shepley's batting lineup who lose the prolific runs made by Dan Wood over many seasons. Dake also provides a useful spin-bowling option. Additionally, the club secured the services of Musa Ahmed, a right-arm leg-spinner tasked with filling the void left by outgoing prodigy Josh Hoyle who will face his former team after his move to Almondbury Wesleyan. Wayne Hughes, with his destructive capabilities, arrives from Green Moor in the South Yorkshire league to add extra firepower to Shepley's batting lineup.
Skelmanthorpe
Skelmanthorpe’s impressive 2023 campaign placed them firmly amongst the favourites this time round but they needed to shuffle a team top-heavy with overseas UK passport holders. The bowling attack will be led by Faisal Usman, a consistent performer known for his skillful medium seam bowling who has been signed from neighbours Shelley. Usman's ability to consistently take wickets over four seasons caught the eye of Skelmanthorpe who aim to eke out his usual 40-50 wicket output. Additionally, the club signed Fin Brook, who joined after a successful season at Slaithwaite scoring over 500 runs. Furthermore, Muhammad Rizvi's arrival from Winton in the GMCL adds some weight to Skelmanthorpe's batting lineup, further enhancing the team's prospects for the upcoming season. Again, run machine Jack Newby should be amongst the leading run-makers and they have retained the services of top-order UK passport holder Kian Schwartz for a second season. Schwartz bagged 48 wickets with his skillful seam bowling last year.
