National Club Championship 2026: New entries, plum ties

The ECB National Club Championship for 2026 has teams in Yorkshire entering for the first time, serious pedigree and tough competition.

In this round-up, I’ll walk you through some of the headlines for this edition as well as early-season ties to whet the appetite.

All change

Yorkshire’s cricket clubs feature in Group 1 and Group 2 of the Rothsay National Club Championship with fresh entries in both.

The Bradford Premier League champions New Farnley are in, which they weren’t last season during their runaway year that yielded four trophies for the first team. They are in Group 1 with a bye initially and will face the winner of Hoylandswaine vs Tickhill on Sunday 10 May.

Bradford & Bingley and Farsley are both in the draw for the first time, joining Pudsey St Lawrence and Woodlands all in Group 2. Carlton Towers, newly-promoted to the Yorkshire Premier League North’s Premier Division host Pudsey St Lawrence on Sunday 12 April in Preliminary Round 1.

To look at the quality across both groups is to see how tough a competition this is at regional level with South Northumberland, Richmondshire, Wakefield Thornes and Castleford among others all vying to progress in Group 2.

Huddersfield Premier Cricket League champions Hoylandswaine are in the draw and as much as clubs will say league first then cups next, this is the litmus test both against other sides in Yorkshire, the North and then nationally.

Preliminary progress?

With two prelim rounds (12 April then 26 April) before Round 1 in May, it is a chance for clubs who haven’t competed at the top of their leagues to face unknown opposition and perhaps claim an upset.

Hull Zingari (9th in YPLN) face Spotborough (first, YCSPL Championship) with the latter hoping to start 2026 as they finished 2025 – by bowling a team out for 24!

Preliminary Round 2 is really where the party starts in terms of quite a few more games and ties having plenty of intrigue as titans of Yorkshire leagues face each other – sometimes for the first time.

Hoylandswaine vs Tickhill, Richmondshire vs Woodhouse Grange, Woodlands vs Rastrick and Sheffield Collegiate at home to Castleford are all mouthwatering ties.

Bye

New Farnley, York and South Northumberland are all given a bye so their first match in this competition will be Sunday 10 May. The group final is Round 3 on Sunday 21 June (with a reserve date of Sunday 28 June if the rain comes).

Group 1 Fixtures

Prelim Round 1 (Sunday 12 April 2026)

Hull Zingari vs Sprotborough
Beverley Town vs Seaham Harbour
Benwell Hill vs Malton & Old Malton

Prelim Round 2 (Sunday 26 April 2026)

Moorlands vs Driffield Town
Hetton Lyons vs Hull Zingari or Sprotborough
Hoylandswaine vs Tickhill
Stockton vs Beverley Town or Seaham Harbour
Barnard Castle vs Benhill Hill or Malton & Old Malton
Felling vs Clifton Alliance

Byes: New Farnley & York

Group 2 Fixtures

Prelim Round 1 (Sunday 12 April 2026)

Stamford Bridge vs Norton
Carlton Towers vs Pudsey St Lawrence
Darlington vs Boldon

Prelim Round 2 (Sunday 26 April 2026)

Bradford & Bingley vs Stamford Bridge or Norton
Wakefield Thornes vs Carlton Towers or Pudsey St Lawrence
Richmondshire vs Woodhouse Grange
Woodlands vs Rastrick
Harrogate vs Darlington or Boldon
Sheffield Collegiate vs Castleford
Doncaster Town vs Farsley

Bye: South Northumberland