Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Yorkshire’s D40 Quest captain Cameron Cooper.
“There is general positivity and excitement around that if we get this right, this could be a really good team.”
That is a quote from Mark Sugden, who has taken on a new role of player development manager within the Yorkshire disability structure.
Looking ahead to the 2026 summer, he is talking about the Quest team, the first of three sides the White Rose will once again field in ECB competitions.
Though the positivity is far from just limited to the Quest team, national champions in 2023, they believe the structure beneath them is strong too, including the Pursuit hardball team and the S9 softball side.
In addition, the White Rose also run an Under 21s hardball development team.
Last season, the Quest team finished fifth out of six in the North Group, winning two of six matches. Lancashire were national champions.
In the Pursuit competition, Yorkshire finished second in the North and Midlands section, winning three of six matches. The S9s had an identical campaign in their North division.
Sugden said: “The backstory is that we had this team that was getting quite a bit older and they obviously won the Quest championship a couple of years ago. Then, all of a sudden – one by one – through different things, that team seemed to go through a transition.
“But the pleasing thing for me is that going through that transition last year, we were still in with a shout of winning the title close to the end.
“It was a younger side, but we are all optimistic because we were still competitive whilst the group was still developing and learning.
“Now, this summer, the team’s been together for a little while – a couple of years – and it’s ready to push on. As I’ve said, the exciting thing is that we’re likely to be together for a good few years given the age of the team.
“And it will be pushed from beneath, because there is a lot of talent coming through.”
While Sugden – the former first-team captain at Old Leo’s Cricket Club – has been involved in the Yorkshire system over the last year or two, he has now taken on a more prominent and official role.
He continued: “We’ve done things a bit different this winter coaching wise.
“We’ve done more coaching sessions than we normally do and have brought the players together more.
“We’ve done a lot more focused stuff, tailoring our sessions.
“We’ve picked up on our weaknesses and things we think we need to improve on from last year. For example, we felt that our fielding was below other teams. So we have made our fielding sessions really competitive and very game oriented.
“Another thing, we felt we were scoring at a crazy rate with the bat, but we were consistently leaving 10 overs out there. So, how do we keep that momentum going whilst trying to maximise that 10 overs that we weren’t using?
“We’ve talked about intent vs recklessness and about improving that non-boundary strike-rate.
“We’ve also been putting on extra weekend batting sessions, which we’re calling masterclasses. And also bowling ones and some as a full squad together. The response to those has been great.”
A number of players are expected to return to the Quest team after some time away, including 2023 title winners James O’Conner and Cameron Sweeney. They will be captained by England fast bowler Cameron Cooper.
“I just think we’re onto something here,” said Sugden.
“The pleasing thing with last year’s team was they’ve come through the disability system. A lot of the players played in the Pursuit the year before.
“That’s been one of my targets, as well, behind the scenes – to create a clear pathway.
“Developing players in the Under 21s team, it kind of bridges that gap between the Quest and the Pursuit teams. There had been a bit of a gap, but I think we’re getting there quite quickly.”
Sugden will work alongside the team of coaches such as Steve Bamforth with the Quest team and Darren Spooner with the Pursuit team.
They are captained by Cooper, as aforementioned, and Archie Atkins-Sloan when available respectively.
Yorkshire’s Quest team will begin their season away at Derbyshire on May 17, the same day which the S9s begin away to Wales.
The Pursuit team kick off their season away at Shropshire on April 26.
Sugden said: “Myself, Steve, Darren and Owen (Jervis, disability teams manager), we’re all really excited.
“The Derbyshire game is one the players are really geared up for, especially with one of the Derbyshire player coaches, Paul Allen, being involved with England and the Disability Premier League. A few will be looking to catch his attention.”
And lining up in that Yorkshire team will be highly-rated wicketkeeper-batter Curtis Sugden, who is Mark’s son and a mainstay of the White Rose line-up.
Mark added: “He seems to have pushed on quite a bit, and he’s doing well. We’re hoping for big things.
“He’s left Leo’s this year to go to Thackley, so we’ll see what happens there.
“There’s more to come from him, definitely more. Speaking as a coach, there’s a lot of times when you think, ‘Oh, he’s left quite a few runs out there’. And I think he knows it himself.
“He’s worked hard on his back-lift and has re-modelled his stance. He looks in good touch, he really does.
“He’s just one of a number of talented youngsters we have. Owen Morris, for example, is another. Him and Curtis both scored county hundreds last year. Owen is just one who is progressing very nicely.
