Former Yorkshire fast bowler, and one of the county’s current high performance pathway coaches, Jared Warner is preparing for his first season as captain of Methley.
Warner retired from professional cricket at the end of last season, following three years with Gloucestershire, and immediately took on a coaching job at Headingley.
A product of the Wakefield Thornes club, Warner, aged 27, played for Methley before heading down to the South West at the end of 2020. During his time at Bristol, he played club cricket in the West of England Premier League (WEPL).
Now returning to the Bradford League, which gets underway this Saturday after a week’s delay because of wet weather, Warner can’t wait to get started.
“I’m looking forward to just enjoying my cricket again and trying to look forward to seeing what that looks like alongside having a proper job now,” he smiled.
“The last two years have been tough mentally with my cricket.”
Methley’s first team are in the BCL’s Premier Division, finishing 10th out of 12 last season in a league once against won by Woodlands, who have won the title in each of the last four full seasons.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Jared Warner celebrates after dismissing Lancashire’s Josh Bohannon during the 2020 Bob Willis Trophy – his last season as a Yorkshire player.
Methley start with a home clash against Ossett at their Little Church Lane on Saturday.
“It will be tough to try and compete at the top end of the Bradford League at the minute because of the finances of the likes of Woodlands and New Farnley,” continued Warner.
“If you look at the table from last year, probably from fourth to 10, everyone’s pretty similar.
“If you can get on a run with a formula that works, you can build momentum and go from there.
“I think the best case scenario is fourth. I think Townville are just that step ahead. But a poor season, you could be in the mix like we were at the back end of last year. We got dragged into it a bit.
“I’m hopeful because I think we have a nicely balanced team.
“I’d be over the moon with a top-five finish.”
Picture by Ray Spencer Photography. Methley CC, Little Church Lane.
On his new role as skipper, Warner said: “It’s something I’ve done before, and I do like the added responsibility of always being involved on the pitch.
“At the club, we didn’t do great last year and haven’t got loads of money. So we’re trying to produce and give opportunities to as many young players as we can.
“We want to create something.
“It’s quite a nice time to take it over and put my stamp on it. I am looking forward to getting started with it.”
And you definitely get a sense of confidence when listening to Warner talk about the start of a new era at Methley.
“We’ve got a couple of lads who were on the Yorkshire Academy last year, Alex Cree and Charlie McMurran,” he added.
“We also have Josh Sullivan, who used to be a pro at Yorkshire, and Taylor Cornall. He was at Worcestershire for the last couple of years. James Wainman is still at the club as well.
Picture by Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com. Methley stalwart James Wainman plays for Yorkshire in the 2018 Vitality Blast.
“We’ve got some good players and good lads.
“We’ve got a lovely mix of players who’ve played at a good level alongside youngsters with a lot of ability.
“They just need to be helped along the journey.
“That’s what we’ve probably lacked in the last couple of years, that leadership and experience to help them thrive.
“I hope to give them a lot of opportunities and confidence.
“It will be good for myself to go about that journey with them, and will help my coaching as well.
“I’m excited about how we go.”
