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# Colson Smith: How Castleford rose to be champions
- URL: https://cricketyorkshire.com/colson-smith-castleford-cricket-club/
- Published: 2021-09-15T14:46:48.000Z
- Updated: 2026-05-28T15:07:59.000Z
- Author: John Fuller
- Tags: Interviews, #Migrated-1779979794393, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-05-28 14:51

Colson Smith, Director of Cricket at Castleford CC, spoke to me for the *Cricket Yorkshire Podcast* ahead of the Yorkshire Premier League Final at Emerald Headingley on Saturday.  
  
We discussed the five-year plan Colson devised with David Wainwright to bounce back from relegation out of Yorkshire Premier League North - which they won in 2021.  
  
In this 20-minute episode, Castleford’s approach with its focus on spin bowling and a squad that has [**all contributed this season**](https://castleford.play-cricket.com/Statistics?season=222&sub%5Ftab=Standard&tab=Batting&ref=cricketyorkshire.com) both feature.  
  
Ex-county players like David Wainwright and Chesney Hughes will catch the headlines but Cas have most bases covered.

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**The Coronation Street actor, who plays Craig Tinker, has a long association with Castleford Cricket Club and I enjoyed his company on the podcast as we considered the challenge of Woodlands, who just lost out to Sheriff Hutton Bridge in the 2019 Final.**

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Bradford Premier League outfit Woodlands won’t have overseas star Brad Schmulian (see [**Brad's interview**](https://cricketyorkshire.com/woodlands-cricket-club-brad-schmulian/) earlier in the season) but match-winners like Chris Brice, Kez Ahmed and ​​Muhammad Bilal with ball all pose a threat.  
  
As do, Sam Frankland and Tim Jackson who combined have 2,000+ runs for the Bradford club this season across competitions.

It promises to be a cracker of a fixture to round off the Premier League club season. Well worth a listen if you have some time in the car, on your daily commute or back home.

Thanks to Ray Spencer for the image of Colson, you can visit Ray’s website [**https://rayspencerphotography.co.uk**](https://rayspencerphotography.co.uk/?ref=cricketyorkshire.com) if you’re looking for a skilful photographer for sports or corporate events.

Castleford (Yorkshire Premier League North) vs Woodlands (Bradford Premier League) starts at 10.30am at Headingley Emerald on Saturday.

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