Champions Hoylandswaine have made two significant signings as they look to defend the Drakes Huddersfield Cricket League Byrom Shield.
The Haigh Lane club have drafted in West Indian first-class bowler Kesrick Williams and Honley batsman Max Joice for the 2015 season.
Off the playing roster are skipper Michael Cranmer, who is back in Australia and not planning to return next summer, and Zafir Patel, who has gone back to India to try and get back in the IPL and, most likely, will relinquish his UK-qualified status in the process.
Williams will be 25 by the time the season starts but brings with him first-class experience for Combined Campuses and Colleges, while he also played for the Windward Islands against the England Lions in 2011.
The fast-medium right-armer will replace Patel down the order while Joice, who had 691 runs last season at 43.91, will slot in at No5 to replace Cranmer, who was non-EU Player of the Year this time with 718 runs at 71.80 and 22 wickets at 19.45.
The top four in the batting order – Alex Morris, Gharib Nawaz, SP Singh and Ryan Robinson – are all staying and, after Joice, they will have Yasir Abbas, skipper Richard Wilkinson, all-rounder Ben Potter and keeper Alan Mynett, not forgetting young Jack Lockwood pushing for selection.
Swaine, of course, collected a hat trick of Byrom Shield, Sykes Cup and T20 Trophy this year and, next time, will be bidding to add the Black Sheep Yorkshire Champions Trophy as well (a crown they held in 2013).
