Kohler-Cadmore: Hoylandswaine 1st XI eye landmark season

Ben Kohler-Cadmore, captain of Hoylandswaine Cricket Club’s first eleven, is gearing up for a seismic last push of the season.

They have already lifted the Huddersfield Premier Cricket League’s ECB Premiership title and the Sykes Cup for good measure.

In this interview, Ben and I pick over the season so far, chat about captaincy, ambition, reputation and unfinished business.

📸 Thanks to Steve Parkin for use of his photos. He’s @SteveParkin_Sportsimages on Instagram and is available for hire if clubs or leagues need a photographer in future.

I first watched Kohler-Cadmore in the Bradford Premier League for Hanging Heaton where the muscular opener would routinely belt sixes. He has continued that approach in his three seasons at Hoylandswaine.

A first-team record for ‘Swaine of 2,776 runs at 38 (187 maximums if you’re curious) isn’t rockstar-special (says the number eleven) but consistent at this level.

Box office

To date in 2026, Furqan Shafiq (1,320) & Abid Ali (1,085) have both breached a thousand runs while Samit Patel isn’t far off, including an unassuming 200 off 109 balls.

The firsts’ bowling has been equally box office with Samit Patel (64 wickets), Max Morley (54 wickets) and Adil Ali (46 wickets), ably assisted by the rockets of Adnan Ghani (31 wickets, pictured below).

For a guy who’s stacked like a tank, Kohler-Cadmore isn’t a boom-boom interviewee; instead thoughtful, softly spoken and doesn’t duck any questions. Though an opening batsman of some repute, he sure has lousy timing though:

“Last week, we won the league and the Sykes Cup the same weekend and I was away! So that was typical.”

(Before anyone piles in, it was due to international duties with Germany – which we’ll get to later).

For a squad packed with talent and pedigree, ambition won’t be lacking and going unbeaten in the league is still a driver. Honley at their place and Skelmanthorpe at home are the two sides who can trip them up.

Beyond that local rivalry, it’s how they stack up against leading Yorkshire clubs and in national competitions.

Swaine lost to New Farnley in the Heavy Woollen Cup and ECB National Club Championship but got the better of the Lawns Lane outfit in the 2025 White Rose Trophy semi-final.

Fun fact…

Hoylandswaine are one of only two clubs – along with Richmondshire – who could theoretically win the White Rose Trophy (best Premier League side in Yorkshire) for two seasons running – in the space of a month.

The 2025 edition wasn’t contested last season and so we have two back-to-back competitions (unless those plans have changed).

Big-spending reputation

I am curious about Hoylandswaine’s reputation in the Huddersfield Premier League as guns for hire; a club that buys success. I’m paraphrasing but you don’t have to look far for the many scathing comments.

I understand the frustration about a club with deep pockets signing a raft of stars that dominate a league – including those who have played for counties and England.

Yet, if Hoylandswaine were in the Bradford Premier League, I don’t know that there would be the same level of outrage. On their reputation in their own league, Ben reckoned:

“I don’t think it’s going to change. I don’t really think it’s fair. There’s a lot of clubs that act like every player’s homegrown… they do it for the love of the game etc etc but there’s a lot of clubs that also pay a lot of money out.”

It does surprise me given the many rules of being an ECB Premier League club that there aren’t definitive regulations on payment of players. Maybe there are whole filing cabinets of sub clauses somewhere. Proper old-school.

The sort of player classification system deemed worthy of a trial by the YCSPL in 2027 will be watched with interest I have no doubt. It will need the kinks ironing out but I like the concept.

Yes, these things can be circumnavigated (don’t expect leagues to police it either) but if evening the playing field is a consideration then there are ways and means.

I did also note with mild amusement – childish maybe – that Abid Ali is listed as the PRO on Play-Cricket for Hoylandswaine.

There’s also how you judge a cricket club – is it the first team or all of the teams? So we should mention that their seconds really are good enough to go a division up by now, there’s a women’s softball squad in the South Yorkshire Women & Girls League and junior sides.

Swaine’s Sunday XI, captained by Chris Holliday, must be one of the strongest squads you’ll come across in the Barnsley & District Cricket League where they currently lead Division One from Sheffield Collegiate.

Captaining Samit Patel

I ask Ben about the art of captaincy and what it’s like to lead Hoylandswaine, including a guy I saw last July at Headingley for Derbyshire Falcons:

“Obviously with Samit, he’s got however many matches of experience, he’s someone you really listen to… Chris Holliday as well… those two are massive in the changing room with ideas, thoughts, how we’re going to go about things.”

Selection must be interesting with very competitive, successful players all wanting to play every week: “It’s a good problem to have because we know whatever the eleven is, we’re very strong.”

While losing in the Heavy Woollen Cup stung (they’ve never won it) and a narrow defeat in their first taste of the nationals, Hoylandswaine might yet be peaking at the right time.

Yorkshire leagues knockouts

Bragging rights as a force to be reckoned within Yorkshire is itself a serious feather in the cap given the standards across leagues.

They have Richmondshire in their path to lift the 2025 White Rose Trophy and can’t take the cup back to Haigh Lane as it will be re-contested in such a narrow window.

Hoylandswaine will have to nullify the batting threat led by Gary Pratt and the spin guile of overseas pro Lalith Akkaraju whose 9-25 dismantled Marton recently.

The 2026 WRT edition will then see Hoylandswaine, Clifton Alliance, Sheffield Collegiate, Woodlands or Townville and Richmondshire or Barnard Castle duke it out.

Representing Germany

Ben has been smashing it for Germany with 51 & 53* against Finland and Israel respectively at Kerava in August. It follows a run of 10 T20Is since 1 May where he struck 133* against Austria.

Kohler-Cadmore reckons the ranking system and points allocation makes it tough to progress to the tier above. A loss – even in an overall heavy series win – carries a heavy toll.

Germany finished second in Group B of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Sub Regional Europe Qualifier C. Group A winners Portugal beat Spain to get a chance to progress. He noted:

“If you lose to someone you should be beating, it’s catastrophe basically. It’s hard in that regard but it’s really good (playing for Germany)… absolutely love it.”

European adventures can now wait.

The laser focus is back on a seminal moment for Hoylandswaine. This is their first chance to see how they stack up against Yorkshire’s other league champions – how will they go?