SCHOLES have signed Australian all-rounder Jarrod Lee for the Drakes League Premiership season.

The 28-year-old plays for Hawkesbury in Sydney Grade cricket and is the opening bowling partner of Shane Mott, the man who helped Scholes clinch the title a couple of years ago.

Lee will also strengthen the middle-order batting at Chapelgate, where James Noble against skippers the side.

Mott played a huge part in helping Scholes lift the Premiership crown in 2009 when he took 48 wickets and scored around 500 runs, performing consistently, and providing a perfect partner for Andy Alsop, who went on to win the League bowling prize that season, along with Iqbal Khan (who also won the League’s batting prize) and Mohammed Shahnawaz.

Last season, the Chapelgaters did not quite have the same penetrative strikeforce with Mott’s replacement, Luke Bird, taking just 24 wickets during the season, although he did contribute better with the bat with around 650 runs to his name, including a best of 119 against Broad Oak.

However, his lack of success with the new ball just took the edge off the team’s competitiveness, although they were still to finish in a quite respectable fourth place behind their Holme Valley neighbours Honley, who went on to replace them as the Byrom Shield holders.

Lee, who began his career with Penrith Panthers, before moving to Hawkesbury, is a fast-medium right-arm bowler and right-hand bat, who according to reports from Down Under, shares very similar statistics to Mott this season.

Another plus for Scholes, however, is that Lee is also a qualified Australian Level I coach, which in UK terms means he has a Level II qualification, so the club will be expecting their new signing to bring on their budding juniors.

Noble’s side will again be looking for a major input from Khan, Ibrar Latif and Shahnawaz, and not least from their prize-winning bowler of 2009 Alsop, who, after a winter of ‘murmuring’ has pledged his immediate future to theChapelgate club.

Last season Alsop knocked over 51 victims, five behind Shahnawaz – who played the major role in helping Scholes lift the Black Sheep Yorkshire Leagues’ champion of champions trophy last season – but he should benefit from having Lee at the other end this season as a new ball partner and make Scholes into genuine title contenders once again.

Yorkshire cricketing legend Geoff Boycott is the guest of ‘An Audience With’ at Leeds United’s Elland Road banqueting suite in April.

The Sportsman’s Lunch, entitled ‘Corridor of Uncertainty’ features the former England and Yorkshire opener, who is now one of the successful TV and radio cricket commentators.

Alongside Boycott will be guest compere, Huddersfield’s very own John Shires, himself one of Yorkshire Television’s leading presenters and a former Armitage Bridge cricketer.

The lunchtime event is on April 15, and the cost is £850 for a centre table of 10 (£750 for outside table), while individual costs are: £89 (centre) and £79 (outside).

Included in the VIP hospitality is: drinks reception, three-course lunch, tea and coffee, musical entertainment, guest compere, video footage, sponsorship packages available, event management throughout.

For further details and bookings contact AR Events Ltd, 4 Railway Street, Huddersfield HD1 1JP. Tel 539432.