Sheffield Cricket Lovers' Society Year Book 2020

39 www.sheffieldcricketlovers.org.uk Manchester, Lancashire, Liverpool & District, Northern Premier, Palace Shield and Ribblesdale leagues, along with two apiece from the Southport & District Amateur and Greater Manchester Amateur leagues, and, for the first time, one from the Westmorland League. Settle, of the Ribblesdale League, flew the flag for Yorkshire! Until two years ago, the final was usually played at Old Trafford, providing a thrill for league cricketers and no little kudos for the competition. Here’s the thing: is there any mileage in suggesting a Yorkshire Knockout Cup, structured on similar lines? The stumbling block, certainly for the big clubs, would be finding space in a crowded calendar. Unfortunately, elasticity isn’t one of the cricket season’s qualities. Those who like to enter, say, the ECB’s national club and T20 competitions, along with their own league’s knockout cup, might struggle. But if the Lancashire clubs can manage it (though it’s likely their Knockout Cup will be restructured, with fewer clubs, next year), why can’t their Yorkshire counterparts? Or are we to be satisfied merely with the Yorkshire Premier League Champions season finale, a play-off featuring the county’s four ECB league winners? Wakefield Thornes lifted the trophy in 2018. On the basis it’s usually wiser to walk before one can run, a Yorkshire Knockout Cup could start with 32 clubs (no second XIs) and five rounds. Let’s not be too ambitious, too soon. I’d pick six clubs from each of the Bradford Premier, the Yorkshire Premier North and the Yorkshire South Premier leagues, together with the top four Yorkshire clubs from the North Yorkshire & South Durham Premier League. We could flesh out that stellar 22 with the top two from the South Yorkshire (Yorkshire clubs only – no Lincolnshire interlopers) and York & District Senior leagues, and the champions of the Airedale & Wharfedale, Craven, Halifax, Huddersfield, Nidderdale & District and Pontefract & District leagues. I wouldn’t, at this stage, wish to complicate matters by considering seeding. Icing on the cake would be to stage the showpiece final at Headingley. Where there’s a will, there’s a way! Could it be done? Judging by this season’s final league tables, there’d be some tasty entrants for a 2020 Yorkshire Knockout Cup. The line-up would be: Bradford Premier (6) Woodlands, Townville, Hanging Heaton, Pudsey St Lawrence, New Farnley, Bradford & Bingley. Yorkshire Premier North (6) Sheriff Hutton Bridge, Woodhouse Grange, York, Stamford Bridge, Dunnington, Castleford. Yorkshire South Premier (6) Doncaster Town, Wakefield Thornes, Treeton, Sheffield Collegiate, Tickhill, Whitley Hall. North Yorkshire & South Durham Premier (4) Richmondshire, Marton, Marske, Thornaby. South Yorkshire (2) Cawthorne, Whiston Parish Church. York & District Senior (2) Driffield Town, Acomb. Airedale & Wharfedale (1) Otley. Craven (1) Crossflatts. Halifax (1) Illingworth St Mary’s. Huddersfield (1) Hoylandswaine. Nidderdale & District (1) Darley. Pontefract & District (1) Streethouse. Image: Action from Whiston Parish Church With thanks to Andrew Gallon/Feversham Media who originally wrote this piece for the website cricketyorkshire.com