AS the new cricket season starts on Saturday, Examiner Sports writer DAVID LOCKWOOD checks out the credentials of the clubs in the Drakes Huddersfield Cricket League’s Cedar Court Conference

THERE are four new teams in the Cedar Court Conference this season and all will be looking to impress.

Moorlands, Denby, Almondbury Wesleyans and Denby Dale are the ones stepping up to a new 12-team third section.

The pick of newcomers could be MOORLANDS, who are joning from the Central Yorkshire League.

There is a certain irony that the Mirfield club have been desperate to reach the CYL’s Premier Division, and last season achieved that by winning the First Division Championship – in their last season in the League!

Skippered by Andrew Fortis, Moorlands are setting up their stall to be Conference contenders, and have a tried and trusted Australian bowler, Chris Lloyd, back to help their cause, along with Michael Rounding (from Mirfield Parish Cavaliers).

Lloyd, from Wynnum Manley in Queensland, played at Moorlands two years ago and was very impressive until colliding in the field with his skipper, which resulted in serious injury which prevented him playing again that season.

Rounding is a former junior product at Moorlands and will keep wicket.

Andy Walker is a former junior and member of the Leeds/Bradford University side, who has also played in the Bradford League.

ALMONDBURY WESLEYANS make their first foray into the Drakes as a wholly amateur club, with a predominantly young side, products of their junior programme.

Twenty-one-year-old Will Binns takes over as captain from elder brother Tom (25) who has relinqished the role because of work commitments, but who will continue to bat at No3.

Bryn Jenkins will open the batting after returning from Broad Oak, while another player returning after a few seasons at Scholes is Mark Floyd, a middle order batsman and swing bowler.

David Hales is expecting to play more regularly, while Darrell Sykes (formerly Hall Bower) is the ‘old man’ of the side at 27 and will open the bowling along with Zac Stanger.

Sykes will not start the season due to injury. His brother Chris will, however, after joining from the Bower.

Ollie Shaw provides the spin option – he was the leading wicket-taker last season – while other young players stepping up into the first team are Saqib Matlub (16), who along with Irslaan Saboor have benefited from being on the YMC’s Pathways scheme, while the wicketkeeper is Jonny Hoyle.

Officials at DENBY will be pinning plenty of hopes on their pair of new signings, Matt Smith (Scholes) and Sri Lankan Saman Lanasha.

Smith is a very experienced opening batsman and spin bowler, while non-EU all-rounder Lanasha is the nephew of Ranjit Don Bandula, and reportedly plays a bit like him!

Even more experience comes in the form of Tim Jones, skipper and keeper, who has former Shelley teammate and Australian-born Shane Payne alongside him.

Another ex-Shelley product is bowler Paul Goodman and spinner Andrew Pickford, while stalwart Jimmy Gumpert will open the batting with Smith.

DENBY DALE have vowed to stick with their own home-grown players.

Former Kexborough player and Dale junior Jordan Geldart leads them out, along with brothers, Ryan (the club’s leading batsman) and Aiden.

Robert Stanley, Richard Lammyman and Adam Craven are other notables

Nadeem Latif has taken over as skipper at ALMONDBURY in place of Martin Sykes.

The Fernside club are still trying to formulate their first team squad and are hopeful of two or three new signings, at least one of whom will be no stranger to the Almondbury ground.

Mirza Mobeen, who was both the leading wicket-taker (65 victims) and the leading run-scorer in 2011, is rumoured to be returning to the club after a season at Emley.

Relegated from the Championship last season, ARMITAGE BRIDGE will be looking to bounce straight back up, skippered again by Paul Hamer.

The Bridge have decided against an overseas and boast just one new recruit in the shape of all-rounder Andy Haigh (Holmbridge).

A prolific run-scorer in the Central League, Hamer will be hoping Haigh can help shore up the batting and bolster an already-useful bowling attack, led by Rick Lunn, Jordan Williamson and Carl Jump.

The only loss is that of Faheem Hussain who has joined Linthwaite, while the Bridge are hoping to promote Sam Atkinson and Cody Parr to regular first-team duties.

CUMBERWORTH had an up and down season last summer as they finished mid-table in their first year in the League, but skipper Chris Kilner is optimistic they can maybe get into the promotion frame this time.

Kilner – top scorer last time with just over 400 – admits It was a ‘find your feet’ season in 2012 but is expecting his similar squad of players to kick on this year. Despite a relatively-successful season financially, the club have spent wisely on ground and clubhouse improvements rather than on recruitment.

Two players returning from University are Carlo Whittaker, who is a middle order batsman and Kilner’s nephew Josh Kilner, who is an opening bowler.

EMLEY CLARENCE, who came down from the Championship with Armitage Bridge, have lost Mobeen, who was their leading wicket-taker last season with 62 victims, but are looking at a couple of avenues to replace him.

One of those comes in shape of young New Zealander Chris Case, who is a wicketkeeper and early-order batsman. Case will help with the ground while also take charge of coaching the juniors.

Ken Taylor is also expected to once again play a prominent role in the first team, while the club are looking towards two of their younger players, Ryan Clarke and Rob Whetham, to reinforce their places when they return from University.

KIRKHEATON went close to promotion last season and new skipper Matthew Lambert is keen to see his side go one step better.

Although he is resigned to losing the Bishop brothers (Jonny and Chris) along with Kamran Saleem, they have recruited well with the signing of a first-class opening batsman from Pakistan, Kashif Rashid, and former Rastrick player Ateeq Rehman.

Rashid scored over 1,200 runs while playing in the Central Yorkshire League a while back, while Rehman, who missed all last season due to injury, is a very good all-rounder who had almost 600 runs and took 43 wickets in three-quarters of the season in 2012 at the Round Hill club.

Coming the opposite way across the valley is veteran Murphy Walwyn, along with ex-Lepton and former Kirkheaton man Gary Hodgson.

LASCELLES HALL have acquired a new skipper in the shape of Jonny Bishop (from Kirkheaton).

And the added bonus for the Hall is that they also get Bishop’s brother Chris as wicketkeeper, while Kamran Saleem is also coming with them.

Another newcomer is Armgham Javid, who has moved from Barkisland to open the bowling.

The club have lost one or two of their Walker Cup-winning side, but are looking towards former juniors such as Jack Mulhall, Charlie Mitchell, Tom Walker and George Summerville to go alongside the experience of John Booth, Tony Mulhall, Richard Shaw and Richard Hall.

PADDOCK chairman Mark Turner is back holding the first-team reins at West View Rise this summer.

Turner will be looking for big things from overseas signing Kirk Thompson, a left-handed batsman and right-arm off-spinner from Barbados.

The 19-year-old all-rounder is a former West Indies schoolboy and Under 19 player, and is a member of Barbados’ first-class squad, although yet to make his debut.

Paddock will also be pleased to see the return of Rob Hions after being out for over a year after a knee operation, while Ibrar Rafiq, the club’s leading wicket-taker, will available every week this season (work intervened last term).

RASTRICK will again have home-grown players this season, although they have lined up an overseas all-rounder in Zafar Mohammed, who previously played in the Bradford League.

Robin Lambert will again captain the side, and he will be looking towards players like wicketkeeper-batsman Bradley Birkhead to push on this season.

Last year, Birkhead (inset opposite page) was a member of Huddersfield’s Joe Lumb Cup-winning side, and he made the breakthrough with the bat against Almondbury and Cawthorne when he scored 106 and 83,respectively.

Another of the potential stars is Jordan Ghani, who was the leading wicket-taker and bagged a career-best eight for 25 against promoted Linthwaite, while Tom Owen should play a key role when he returns from starring with Huddersfield RUFC.