SHEPLEY are planning for life without Phil Heaton!
For the first time in 16 seasons, the Marsh Lane club go into a Drakes Huddersfield League campaign without the former Lancashire all-rounder, who has served them so well both as player and captain.
Heaton’s retirement, along with the unavailability of opener Tom Denton, the Town footballer currently on loan at non-league Wakefield, has left places to be taken in the Premiership line-up.
And the decision of opening bowler Craig Glover to join Skelmanthorpe while Adam Wiles has moved over to Kexborough means there will be a total new look at Shepley this season.
Chairman David Hall has spent six hard months in player recruitment to ensure his club remain competitive, and has signed all-rounder Sarjinder Pal (SP) Singh, who should make a very good replacement for Heaton.
The former Almondbury and Thongsbridge player is now EU qualified, and will open the batting at Marsh Lane, having plundered more than 900 runs last season, along with the 65 wickets he accrued through his off-spin bowling in the Frank Platt Conference.
Hall’s second signing is Sri Lankan Don Bandula Ranjith, who has moved from neighbours Shelley following several successful years in the Bradford League, while this year’s overseas player is Romain Grenville, a pace bowler from Guyana, whose father Mark played for Thongsbridge in 1990.
Grenville moved to Australia as a youngster and played first grade cricket in Victoria, but is currently opening the bowling for the top club in Guyana, while last season he helped bowl Llandudno to the North Wales League Premier Division title.
Danny Glover takes over as skipper this season, and he will welcome back old favourite Steve Sullivan behind the sticks.
“Grenville is an exciting prospect, SP Singh is a player everyone has watched over the past few years while Ranjith is a proven performer, so I think we have done well and I think we will be a good side,” said chairman Hall.
“Players like Tim Rees, Danny Glover and Sam Haigh remain, while some of the young players who won the Paddock Shield last season will be pushing hard for first-team shirts, and bringing Sully home completes the picture.”
