Keighley Cup2000 League

for Under 17s

Monday evenings 6:30pm

Embsay, 2007 runners-up, also wave goodbye to three high quality players in Rhys and Thomas Davies and David Wellock. The 2008 challenge will be no doubt led by Nathan Robinson and Lukes, Maude and Stockton.  On paper the overall strength seems a trifle down on the terrific side of 2007 and a top four place may be beyond them. 

Denholme will have to contend without Richard Wear, now plying his trade with Spen Victoria in the Bradford League, and the talents of James Hall. Tom Greenwood, Luke Pickles, Sam Phillips and prolific wicket-taker Katie Briggs will prove difficult to overcome but the suspicion is that the loss of Wear's runs will force them down the table. Scott Hartley, Jake Hoyle and Joe Copperwaite are now Senior League graduates at Oakworth and will be missed. Chris Crook and Hannah Ellis will be joined by many of Oaks 2007 u-15 League runners-up side so a competitive season should be on the cards with Luke Taylor, Brannan Lawn and Jack Hainsworth & Co. However history shows that sides of largely under-15s rarely take u-17 Championships and 2009 would seem their best bet in this respect.

2006 Cricketer of the Year Max Davidson and big-hitting Tom Tetley are both now confined to the record books for Oxenhope but brother Josh remains with Oliver Thomas, Joseph Ousey and Jimmy Marshall providing a solid line-up. The club struggled with taking wickets in 2007 and there will need to be progress from Josh Crowther, Phil Gill and Matthew Moore if they are to go all the way. One side which most certainly could go all the way are Bolton Abbey. The Spencer Cup runners up have lost little from their excellent 2007 squad. Bowlers Dan Parkinson, Will Patchett and Thomas Pugh seem set to resume battle with the league's batsmen. Definite contenders for 2008. One side to under-perform in 2007 was Silsden but 2008 is their opportunity to really show their depth and quality. League top bowler Kieran Lawrence and the high scoring batsmen Amar Amasurai and Nathan Bradbury and others will all be back.  If they can cut out silly errors and collapses their destination must be up the table and a title challenge.  Skipton will no longer have massive contributions of runs and wickets from Ricky Martin as trump card and the suspicion is that it will be a year or two before their title winning u-13s filter through to put them into contention for honours.

The two-division structure will see 8 of the top 9 from 2007 (Thornton not entered) in a strong First Division with a Second Division embracing clubs likely on the up in 2008. To pin a tail on a donkey or two we can surely expect the KC2000 Championship to be fiercely contested by Bolton Abbey, Silsden and Champions Steeton.  Embsay, Skipton, and Denholme will probably be more concerned with avoiding relegation rather than the Championship.

Division Two

David Robinson was a superb lynchpin for Haworth in 2007 and 2008 in Division Two could be a year when he personally reaches the very top. The side as a whole is more or less intact and a finish much higher than in recent times must be in the offing. If the combined talents of Harry Smallwood and Jake Starkey are more frequently available to the Upper Wharfedale club in 2008 the Dales boys will surely return to the top Division. The continued presence of Tom Smallwood, Dan Russell, Jack Schindler, Edward Hird and others provides further evidence for such a bounce back in fortune.  One side which must do better is Bingley Congs, bravely pitched in as a young side in 2007. Their young players are still available and if Sam Waterhouse and Jamie Dean can add consistency to their performance there will be progress. Similarly at Glusburn a better season would seem at hand although the wickets of Andrew Cairns and runs of John Golson will be crucial. New sides Haworth West End, Gargrave and Sutton will take up their 2008 places with little known form at KC2000 level but with some talent from the 2007 J & J League.

The Second Division title would seem to rest between Upper Wharfedale and Haworth. The West Enders might be a real outside bet!!

Johnson & Johnson League

for Under 15s

Wednesday evenings 6:30pm

Freddie Osadzenko, Tom Smith and Joe Stead will form a useful spearhead for the Steeton attempt to retain the Johnson & Johnson League title at Summerhill. Retaining any Championship is difficult and the squad will need to show the same level of winter-generated improvement as did their 2007 pre-decessors. For runners-up Oakworth too their narrow miss will take some matching with many players moving into the KC2000 League. Luke Chapman and Greig Hudson should provide a core around which to build a new squad in 2008, which has lost a couple of players to the new Ingrow side.

There is a very balanced look about Upper Wharfedale which still includes Jack Schindler, Harry Eccleshall, Ben Davey and Joseph Daggett.  Their 2007 campaign was only over in the last few weeks of the season and they must be strong candidates for the 2008 Trophy.  Thomas Strickland, Laurence Read and Chris Walker will leave Will Davidson and Chris Gemmell (if available) to spearhead a largely new u-15 quad for Settle. Their administrative difficulties in 2007 are hopefully now behind them as their 4th place might be difficult to emulate. A very young Oxenhope side will also be missing most of last year's fifth placed XI. Tom Marshall, Matthew Moore and Sam Feather will ensure a typical battle.  Lloyd Davies, Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Triffit have gained much from their successful relegation battle in 2007 and the experience should now fit the Embsay team for a tilt at the title. They may have lost talismanic Tinash Gomwe to the KC200 League but the promoted Cup winners Haworth West End with Callum Jones, Joe Bottomley, Joe Alvey & Owen Palmer looks to still have a part to play in the title destination. It will be of interest to see if the 'higher' status suits the team.  Last ditch promotion for Skipton has given opportunity for Aslam Hussain, Waris Kamal and others to show their 2006 double was no fluke but it will be tough if the depth doesn't materialise.

So where do we look for the 2008 Johnson & Johnson Champions? Upper Wharfedale are probably firm favourites and may re-claim the Trophy they picked up in 2006. But there will be stern matches with Embsay, Haworth West End and possibly defending Champions Steeton.

Division Two

Earby endured their first UAJCL relegation after just one win in 2007. However the 2008 version will be built around the Fab Four of Bowker, Winstanley, Skocki and Sumner. They must be one of the favourites to bounce straight back to the top Division.  Also relegated but much less experienced than the West Craven side were Denholme. Whilst Joe Greenwood, Dale Feather and Andrew Wear will be handfuls the depth seems lacking and their bounce back may not be in 2008.

A massive squad at Gargrave includes Will Marshall, Danny Bowditch, Will Smith and prolific batting prize winner Sam Lund. There's no doubt they will be the team to beat in Division Two, having been unlucky to miss out on promotion this year. There will be stiff challenge from Sutton who still have Jonny Wilkinson, Chris Williams and Andy Kaye to call on. Perhaps under-performers in 2007, they will realise in 2008.  New side Ingrow are unfortunate that they will be pitched into a Second Division as strong as we have seen in recent years and a learning year would seem in prospect. Joe Hoyle and Jason Roberts will provide experience gained at Oakworth and it remains to be seen the full make up of the team. The same will apply to other new teams coming from Pendle Forest and Haworth.

The title battle should be fascinating to watch unfold and marginal favourites must be Earby and Gargrave but Denholme and Sutton are also very much in there and capable of upsetting each other.

Brook Taverner League

for Under 13s

Sunday mornings 10:00am

Skipton have performed wonders with successive Brook Taverner Championships. Turning that into a hat trick might be a step too far for the Marketeers. The squad will be young and their target may well be a 2009 title challenge. For runners up Oakworth there is a re-constitution of their 2006 unbeaten u-11 team and Jack Davison, Ben Fothergill, Lewis Wrathall and Matthew Lee will ensure they live up to that billing. The Earby u-13 side will draw heavily on their 2007 u-11s double winners and will certainly be competitive. Whether the young inexperienced u-11s can repeat their 2007 remains to be seen but like Skipton, 2009 may be the more likely.  There is much more experience and depth in the newly re-named Wharfedale Stags contingent in 2008 with Max Bell, Dan Ellison-Bates, Sam Shepherd and Henry Anson all itching to resume battle no doubt with Oakworth, who pipped them in 2006.

Oxenhope just hung on to top Division status in 2007 and their squad is still relatively inexperienced. But the wickets of Ellis Atha and promise from Joe Pullen will be cornerstones of their programme. For promoted Pendle Forest Thomas Ryland and Clark Pinder will spearhead their Division One campaign but the strength may well have gone up to the Johnson & Johnson League side and a year of battle seems in prospect. Thomas Holme, Daniel Ridehalgh and Chris Wademan have now accumulated much experience and also-promoted Embsay may prove better bets than Pendle in 2008. For Bradley too, who gained a third promotion spot, there is a very promising squad taking shape. Jack Beetham, Chris Rudden, Robert Beresford, Matthew Price and Robbie Smith will ensure they are very well placed in the 2008 mix.

On balance Wharfedale Stags and Oakworth seem the strongest outfits but the high talent level at u-11 from Earby might just migrate. Embsay, Bradley and Skipton should present stern opposition with Pendle Forest and Oxenhope battling to avoid relegation in an extremely tough Division.

Division Two

Haworth West End narrowly lost their relegation fight with neighbours Oxenhope but the experience gained by Liam Chipman, Carlton Beanland, Joshua Holt and Phoebe Robb must put them in with a chance of a straight bounce back in 2008.  The same can be said of surprise fall guys Settle as Robbie Davidson, Peter Cook, Alan Balsamini, Elliott Firth and Jack Walker must surely be nearer the top this time around. Andrew Wear and Jack Harrison will lead the 2008 Denholme tilt but lack of depth would indicate they are unlikely to better their 4th place of 2007. A very new side without many recognised names will take the field for Steeton and it is difficult to predict their prowess, although Charlie Manthorp and James Meehan do provide a benchmark suggestive of perhaps a mid-table campaign.

New lad Ryan Ives will be the on-field leader of a very very young Haworth team, who might struggle to progress beyond their 2007 6th placing.  As with Steeton, virtually a new Sutton XI is difficult to rate. New entrants Crossflatts, and Wharfedale Rams are both untested whilst Silsden may feature a lot of 11 year olds.

The upwardly mobile would seem to likely come from the two relegated sides Haworth West End and Settle in contention with Denholme whilst most others are re-building squads.

CartaSport League

for Under 11s

Most days

For CartaSport League Champions Earby its a case very much of "follow that" and despite the continued availability of Luke Hipgrave and Tyler McGladdery there has to be doubt that the West Craven club can emulate the all-conquering  2007.  Runners up Skipton do retain more of their top performers such as George Sutcliffe, Thomas Blanchard, Michael Dimuantes and Jane Newell so they may get the better of their 2007 rivals in 2008.  A relatively unknown Upper Wharfedale squad will build their attack around Ed Wilman but a title challenge may be beyond the Dales boys for 2008.

The presence of Thomas Storr, Ben Anderson, Joseph Metcalfe and Jonah Smith will give Gargrave optimism that they can at least repeat their fourth place of 2007.  Perenniel challengers Oakworth have again assembled a competitive squad around Ben Howell, Jack Keighley, Nicholas Sharples and Oliver Huck. There seems little prospect of Oaks dropping out of the top five.  Similarly across the valley at Oxenhope it seems inconceivable that Lewis Hopkinson, Tom Addison, Callum Holmes and Josh Ferguson will not carry their side to a rostrum place. Currently Bradley have few known registered players to fill an under-11 team and their progress in Division One may may be steady.  One of 2007 improvers Keighley have Alfie Seeley and Jack Coppen to build around but their are few others with proven track records.

The title race seems a close call this year with Skipton, Oakworth, Oxenhope and Gargrave the likely leading contenders.

Division Two

Could this be Glusburn's year? Alex Horsfield, Pat Lee, Sammy Warriner, Dominic Mortimer and Joshua Storr all started very young and are now approaching 'experienced'. Their 2008 may well see more wins than defeats. Unaccustomed to finding Settle in the lower half, 2008 must be a better year for the Dales club. John Davidson, Frazer Nowell and Daniel Strickland will surely lead the Ribblesdale League side upwards. Jack Roberts will be too old for Silsden in 2008 and they will look to Calvin Hey, Tom Leech and Ben Shepherd to lead them upwards after a year of treading water. So too for Haworth West End after a tough baptism in 2007. Phoebe Robb, Charlie Shimmin and Dexter Riley will lead another very youthful team. Denholme gathered together a useful looking side in 2007 and with that first season experience under their belts a solid season can be expected with Matthew Wear, Tom Stewart and Toby Priestley leading the way. Finally we will have three completely new elements to consider as Cowling, Oakworth B and Steeton join the league with completely fresh under-11 sides.

The Division whilst lacking known quality will as a result be competitive and will fulfill the expected role of introducing many new young players to the competitive sport we all love. Settle and Glusburn seem to hold most of the aces with Silsden and Denholme providing other options for promotion.