Club cricket in Yorkshire has a long-standing reputation for its high standard, with many an old tale of famous Test Match stars plying their trade as overseas players in the various leagues.
Whilst many things have changed over the last 20 years, including the rise of a digital era and a whole host of new leisure activities on offer, the quality of club cricket certainly hasn’t. One factor that has helped to ensure continued improvement of competition was the introduction of the pyramid structure in 2016. Bringing together the four Premier Leagues in the county, along with the feeder leagues underneath them, the structure has pitted the best teams in Yorkshire against each other.
The inaugural ‘Champion of Champions’ final took place under the sunny skies of Abu Dhabi, with more recent finals hosted at Emerald Headingley.
Whilst the Covid-19 pandemic halted the competition in 2020, hopes are high for a more normal 2021 season which will see the best two teams going head-to-head for the ultimate glory come September.
Current ‘Champion of Champions’ Sheriff Hutton Bridge, who claimed their throne only a matter of weeks after Ben Stokes’s ‘Miracle of Headingley’ on the same ground, will be hoping to defend their title. Competition looks set to be high once again, with beaten 2019 finalists Woodlands aiming to go one step further. Two-time winners Wakefield Thornes will be looking to mount yet another challenge along with a whole host of other teams vying for the top spot.
Check out all of the key statistics from the first four years of the Premier League Play-offs, pulled together by the Chairman of the Yorkshire Premier League Management Board Alan Birkinshaw, via the below link:
