Throughout the 2021 season, we will be featuring a weekly round-up of the best games in club cricket, with a look at the four men’s premier leagues and the Yorkshire Women and Girls Cricket League. We want to hear from you, so if you see or are part of a great game of club cricket in Yorkshire, send us the details to [email protected] and we will include the best games each week.
Bradford Premier League, 2021
Through the eyes of: Liam Collins, Woodlands batsman – top-scorer with 85 in YPL play-off final defeat against Sheriff Hutton Bridge at Emerald Headingley in 2019.
What happened in 2020: The league was shortened to fit into half a season, with teams given the option of not competing. Woodlands did not compete on safety grounds and took the opportunity to relay their outfield. Townville finished top after eight games, but a play-off final to determine the competition winners between themselves and Pudsey St Lawrence was cancelled because of a Coronavirus related issue.
2019 champions (last full season): Woodlands
2019 top run-scorer: Khalil Khan – Wrenthorpe; 541, ave 30.06, best 79
2019 top wicket-taker: Jack Hughes – Townville; 49, ave 10.57, best 6-23
Woodlands hopes: “We are hoping to win the league again, but there’s some very good sides in the Premier division. It’s a very difficult competition to win. We have the exact same eleven who won the title in 2019. I don’t think not playing last year will hamper us that much because we have a lot of very naturally talented lads in our group.”
2021 title challengers: “There are a few clubs there and thereabouts every year – Pudsey St Lawrence for one. Townville have come into the league and been superb. New Farnley are also a very, very good side. Hanging Heaton are maybe going through a bit of a rebuilding process, but they will still challenge. Cleckheaton have also rebuilt. It will be a great division this year.”
Your professional: Bradley Schmulian – first-class batting all-rounder from New Zealand
Best professional elsewhere: Matthew Waite, Methley
Best amateur: Chris Brice, Woodlands
The Yorkshire connection: Rich Pyrah – “We don’t have any current Yorkshire connections, but Rich played for us a decade or so ago. Pieter Swanepoel (two first-class matches for the county in 2003) also played for us for a long time.”
Future Yorkshire star from Bradford League: “In our division, I’m not sure who I could highlight. But in Division One, the league below, a lot of people talk about Sam Wisniewski from Pudsey Congs as the next big thing. I know he’s already played a little bit for Yorkshire and at the T10 League, and I hope I get to play against him soon.”
The YPL final will be between?: If it’s not Woodlands, New Farnley (Bradford) v York (YPL North)
Season start date: Saturday April 17
