Transfer Centre: Yorkshire’s ECB Premier Leagues for 2017

This is Cricket Yorkshire’s transfer news exclusive featuring all four ECB Premier leagues in Yorkshire. You won’t get this collated news anywhere else…if you get value out of the read, please share it on Twitter/Facebook using the buttons top or bottom of this page.

Who has moved clubs? What are the teams across all of the leagues?

Here’s all the transfer news for each of the Bradford Premier League, ECB Premier Premier League North, ECB Yorkshire South Premier League and the North Yorkshire & South Durham Cricket League.

Editor’s note – This was correct as possible at the time of writing (week that the season starts) but transfer news is inherently fluid so the picture at clubs may change a little but this should give you a handy snapshot. The tricky bit is deciphering overseas players who have moved plus distinctions between categories of amateurs and professionals.

YORKSHIRE PREMIER LEAGUE NORTH: Acomb, Clifton Alliance, Driffield, Easingwold, Harrogate, Hull, Scarborough, Sheriff Hutton Bridge, Stamford Bridge, Woodhouse Grange, York, Yorkshire Academy.

Champions Harrogate have kept their squad together – although one lad who may get a few less games for them this season is bowler Ben Coad who has had a sensational start with 18 first-class wickets in the County Championship in two games for Yorkshire CCC and is the leading wicket-taker in Division One.

Perennial challengers York have lost Ryan McKendry to Stamford Bridge so Joe Ashdown takes the gloves and they’ve picked up Matthew Waite from Yorkshire Academy. York still have Yorkshire CCC’s Jack Leaning who hit 40 in Yorkshire’s win at Edgbaston and bats at three away at Driffield on Saturday.

The busiest club in the transfer market is Scarborough Cricket Club who have snapped up six new players with newcomers Clifton Alliance sourcing five cricketers to bolster their squad – primarily from relatively local clubs like Londesborough Park and Heslington.



Full transfers:

YORKSHIRE SOUTH PREMIER LEAGUE: Appleby Frodingham, Aston Hall, Barnsley Woolley Miners, Cleethorpes, Hallam, Sheffield Collegiate, Sheffield & Phoenix United, Tickhill, Treeton, Wakefield Thornes, Whitley Hall, Wickersley Old Village

The beginning of the Yorkshire South Premier League’s 2017 season sees a new name with Barnsley becoming Barnsley Woolley Miners after a winter merger whereby their first, seconds and fifths stay at Shaw Lane but juniors and other senior sides move to Woolley Colliery Road.

Sheffield & Phoenix United have lost their skipper and Yorkshire CCC spinner Azeem Rafiq who has moved to Sheffield Collegiate along with his brother Danial.

There are relatively few transfers compared to last year – though Richard Wilkinson moves from Drakes Huddersfield Cricket League’s Hoylandswaine for a new chapter with Whitley Hall and Charlie Roebuck heads to Treeton.

It could be the stringent visa requirements and auxiliary paperwork for overseas cricketers might have an impact on the number of overseas cricketers we see across leagues in Yorkshire.

Full transfers:

BRADFORD PREMIER LEAGUE: Batley, Bradford & Bingley, Cleckheaton, East Bierley, Farsley, Hanging Heaton, Lightcliffe, New Farnley, Pudsey Congs, Pudsey St Lawrence, Townville, Woodlands

It’s all change in the Bradford Premier League with champions Pudsey St Lawrence losing Paul Hutchison & Matthew Duce but signing the league’s all-rounder of the year for 2016, Charlie Best from Bradford & Bingley.

New Farnley have recruited well over winter with Middlesex CCC/Leeds Bradford MCCU cricketer Martin Andersson among the newcomers though they’ve seen spinner Mark Lawson depart.

Batley and Townville are the two promoted cricket clubs who are in their first season of the Bradford Premier League with Richie Bresnan moving to captain Townville but Batley sticking with the squad that took them up.

Other moves include Callum Geldart bolstering the batting at Hanging Heaton and no less than seven signings for Pudsey Congs including Babar Butt coming out of retirement to captain the First Team squad.

The overseas players list was revealed on Wednesday and there are only four top flight clubs that registered one; a reflection of the clampdown on what constitutes a professional allied with a daunting degree of paperwork.

The fines for clubs that are deemed to contravene Home Office regulations can reach tens of thousands of pounds at which point the volunteers who administer the game begin to wonder if it’s worth the effort/risk/reward.

Left-arm spin dominates the signings: Noman Ali returns to Bradford & Bingley where he claimed 45 wickets in 2016 and broke numerous records in cup competitions including hitting six sixes in an over and figures of 8-4 against Yeadon.

No-one took more league wickets last term (60 at 13.77) than Pakistan leftie twirler Muhammed Rameez who is back at Hanging Heaton while Cleakheaton have got, yes, you guessed it, a left-arm spinner in Qaiser Ashraf who plays first-class cricket in Pakistan for Lahore Whites.

West Indian all-rounder Shkym Haynes completes the list as he arrives at Townville.

Full transfers: 


NORTH YORKSHIRE & SOUTH DURHAM CRICKET LEAGUE: Barnard Castle, Darlington, Great Ayton, Guisborough, Hartlepool, Marske, Marton, Middlesbrough, Norton, Richmondshire, Stokesley, Seaton Carew

There has been a reduction of teams in the North Yorkshire South Durham Cricket League Premier Division down to 12 from 14 over the past two seasons to come in line with the other ECB Premier Leagues so expect competition to be full throttle.

Barnard Castle are the team to beat as defending champions and have aimed for continuity by signed both their professionals, captain James Finch and opening batsman Karl Turner, for another two seasons.

Meanwhile, Marton were the sole side to be promoted and they’ve secured batsman Aamer Sajjad from Normanby Hall to beef up their top six.

Pundits wiser than I reckon Marske and Richmondshire should again be the sides to challenge Barnard Castle though others will surely have something to say about that.

That assessment is partly based on the trio at Marske of ever prolific Saeed Bin Nasir (see Cricket Yorkshire’s interview), Lee Hodgson (who won National Club Cricketer of the Year for 2016) and the signing of Lewis Harper from Great Ayton.

As for Great Ayton, who made the Champions semi-final at Headingley last season – they welcome back Wally Ghauri who returns from a broken leg and Chris Allinson plays as an amateur, but Michael Croft (broken leg playing football) will be missed.

Norton are the only side in the league without a professional as they’ve lost ex-Durham and England A man Mark Davies and the former Durham cricketer Marc Symington, (last year’s captain), who is out for the season with a knee injury.

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Share it with friends, clubs, leagues, teammates…this is as comprehensive a picture of the top chunk of the pyramid of Yorkshire cricket as you’re likely to see. Best of luck to all the squads and let battle commence.

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John Fuller

Founder of Cricket Yorkshire, Author of Dales, Bails and Cricket Club Tales, All Wickets Great & Small and Last of the Summer Wickets.

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