THE burning question this year is who actually wants to win promotion from the Frank Platt Championship into the Drakes League Premiership as the competition gets under way on Saturday.

It is customary to expect that the two teams who have been relegated from the top flight at the end of the previous season are among the favourites to go straight back up.

However, due to the fact that Kexborough elected to withdraw from the League and the Executive’s decision to relegate just the one club (Holmfirth), added to the fact that all clubs are concerned over the increased expenditure that promotion to the Premiership would entail, it’s not easy to discover who actually wants it!

Having spoken to representatives from all eight clubs, all of them would seem to be happy to finish in a mid-table position – which should make for an interesting summer.

Outside the top two last year, Clayton West and Lepton Highlanders were there or thereabouts for most of the campaign, and it would be no surprise to find them up there again this year.

LEPTON HIGHLANDERS have only lost Mumtaz Ali from their first team set-up, and the overseas man made little impact last year, having only one knock of note (72 not out against Kexborough) and taking just 23 wickets, so is unlikely to be missed.

The Wakefield Road club have appointed 21-year-old all-rounder Stephen Brown as skipper, and provided his captaincy doesn’t interfere too much with his own contributions – last year he scored 600 runs and took 51 wickets – the Highlanders could do well this season.

Much will again depend on Dale Winterbottom, who last season was the club’s leading run-maker (762) and wicket-taker (54) and whose maturing experience is invaluable to the club.

They are not expecting to sign an overseas player this season, but do have two newcomers to Lepton from the Lincolnshire Premier League, with the signings of Owen Smith, an opening batsman, and all-rounder Mark Dixon.

And there will be plenty expected of Alex Slack, who scored upwards of 700 runs last term, including a ton against Meltham, and Luke Webster, who also scored a hundred against Meltham as well as impressing behind the stumps.

PADDOCK won the Cedar Court Conference last year and although they will surely miss Aussie all-rounder Steve Abbott – the League’s second-highest wicket-taker with 76 – they could surprise a few teams in the Championship.

Replacing Abbott is another Australian all-rounder Stuart Anderson, who hails from Mount Lawley Inglewood in Perth, and is classed as an early order batsman who bowls, and accompanying him at West View Rise is another all-rounder Sajid Nasir, who last season was at Lascelles Hall.

Last year’s big story was the form of opening batsman Zahid Ahmed who won the Conference batting prize after a brilliant season when he topped 1,000 runs (ave 51.7).

During the winter he has been playing ‘down under’ but has now returned to the UK, and last year’s efforts have won him trials down at Northamptonshire, which new skipper Martin Lees will be hoping doesn’t keep him out of too much action for Paddock.

EMLEY CLARENCE kept the pressure on Paddock all year, and still won promotion in second spot, and with virtually the same side turning out this time, there is no reason to suggest they will be any less effective, despite going up a division.

The ‘old’ young head of Simon Sykes will again lead the side and will again have the experience of Jon Lee to count on, while Pakistani all-rounder Sheheryar Hassan is back as overseas all-rounder after netting 40 wickets and over 500 runs last year.

Allan Greenwood was last season’s top Emley batsman with over 700 runs including seven half-centuries and one ton, while Lee was a big wicket-taker with 60 and has the ability to be equally effective in the Championship so they could be there or thereabouts once again.

CLAYTON WEST have already stated they don’t expect to be leading contenders again this year having lost Nick Sharpe and Aussies Greg Davis and Chris Thomson.

However, they have recruited Skelmanthorpe trio Tom and Dan Barber, and Jamie Jagger (not Ryan as previously disclosed to the Examiner!), while their British passport-holding overseas player is Australian Daniel Del Prete, a top order batsman and opening bowler.

Of the Barbers, Dan is a top order batsman, who will probably be handed the responsibility of opening, while Tom, the former Joe Lumb Cup captain is another early order batsman and change bowler. Jamie Jagger, meanwhile, who is another Joe Lumb Cup product is a left-arm opening bowler.

Mark Firth skippers the side and is pledging to take more of a back seat role this year as they put greater emphasis on the younger players who will make up the bulk of the first team.

Martin Sykes skippered ALMONDBURY for three-quarters of last season, and will continue in the role this year, when he will welcome back Mirza Mobeen, a 58-wicket man last year, although they have lost Wasim Khaliq into the Bradford League.

The Fernsiders have a couple of new signings this season, the first being Johannes Wilhelm Van Ee, who holds a Dutch passport and is listed as a medium quick bowler, while the second is Liam Brothers, who has moved there from Shelley.

David Swann, who had a good second half of the season last year will miss the first part of this season through injury, and the captain will be looking for runs again from Atif Kamran.

MELTHAM have lost four of last year’s side, but gained four players, while David Bebb takes over as the new skipper at Mean Lane.

The former Milnrow man has persuaded two of his colleagues to join him, in uncle and nephew combination, Jon and Lee Storey, the former a medium pacer and the second a first change bowler.

Out have gone Steve Lane and Mohammed Usman, while Ben Cockshaw and Will Parker have returned to Lascelles Hall.

Nadeem Ashraf, who was the pick of Meltham’s players last year, is having another season along with Ibrar Hussain and there are two more players expected from the Rochdale area, while Bebb will be looking to promising junior Jack Wallis, Jack Moulson and Will Fraine to make the next step up into senior cricket.

Having been relegated from the top flight last season HOLMFIRTH have subsequently lost Andrew Gleave to Barkisland and Johnny Forrester has returned to his home club Micklehurst and Darren Lockwood has left for Ossett.

After a difficult baptism in charge last year Matt Gummerson resumes as skipper and will mainly be relying on home-grown players like Seb Allen, Chris Cowell and Max Morley, while the only immediate signing is Gareth Myers from Woodfield Park, via Scholes and Thongsbridge.

Holmfirth’s main hope however was opening batsman and opening bowler Javed Iqbal – but this week’s ‘arresting’ news may put the kibosh on that plan.

Like many others, HALL BOWER are also not planning to go down the overseas route this season – at least at the start.

Ben Dunne will again captain the Castle Hill side, and will be looking to someone to replace the 700-plus runs scored by last year’s overseas Sean Barry.

Tom Cliffe and Russ Evans finished in the runs last year, Evans in particular hitting two 60s and 117 in the last three games, and the Bower will need more of the same if they are to prevent themselves slipping into the relegation area.

Two new players have been signed from Edgerton & Dalton, Nadeem Rafiq, who has plenty of previous experience in the Drakes League plus Javaid Ahmad. The bowling is probably less of a problem with Chris Sykes, Nick Hellawell, Andy Peaker and Cliffe all useful.