SOME cricket followers may be a little surprised to see Elland out of the silverware again this season, but for those in the know, progress is being made, and 2008 might just be a different story!

When Gary Jakeman was brought in to skipper the side last season he, along with cricket chairman Dennis Midwood and former captain James Thornton, sat down and put together a three-year plan to regenerate and re-invigorate the Hullen Edge club who, over the previous two or three seasons, had lost some big-time players.

“We looked at the bigger picture, rather than a quick fix, and decided it would take three seasons to turn round the fortunes here,” said Jakeman.

“You don’t replace players like Stuart Fletcher, Steve Sinclair and John Webster overnight. So we brought in a number of very good youngsters who we felt could do a job in time.

“It was a learning process for them last season but we still finished fifth in the Premiership.

“This season, with the inclusion of an overseas player, which we didn’t have last year, we’re hoping to finish no worse than third, which will be seen as another improvement.

“And with the two acquisitions which we think we can line up in the close season we think we’ll be up there next summer.”

One thing is certain at Elland, they won’t be short of coaching expertise, as they have just signed up ex-Yorkshire player and coach Arnie Sidebottom as full-time coach, while another White Rose ‘retiree’ Richard Blakey is also available for guidance as well as another bundle of runs.

And of the two prospective in-comers during the close season, one is another Yorkshire first team fringe man, while the other is expected to be a fast bowler.

“That is one thing we have missed, which we are aiming to put right next season with the signing of a top-class strike bowler like Honley have in Harlon Haye, which would then enable such as Danny Rhodes to benefit at the other end, similar to Ritchie Howarth has at Honley and get a bagful of wickets,” added the skipper.

“We signed Maddy Acharya, who is a great lad, but he’s not quite performed as well as we would have expected, following his 70-odd wickets and tons of runs last year.

“I believe that every club has its period. Elland has in the past, as has Holmfirth, Meltham and Kirkburton. At the moment Honley are having theirs.

“They have set the standards, and when its your turn, you have to make the best of it, which Honley are doing.

“That said, however, I think the best team we’ve played is Shelley.

“Pushpakumara is a fantastic cricketer, and they also have Mohammed Ramzan and Matt Freidlander, who are both fine players, while Darren Lockwood and Graeme Hurlbatt are still good cricketers.

“But yet they’ve won nothing again!”

One thing that seems certain is that Elland will be relying on Yorkshire-based talent next year, although they are still waiting to see about the availability of young paceman Craig Fletcher, who is going to Australia this winter, but who is still waiting to see if he continues to figure in Yorkshire’s plans.

“We’re definitely not going overseas next season,” continued Jakeman.

“Lee Baxter and Ryan Robinson have already said they are staying next year, as has Richard Blakey. In fact Blakes has played more games than we thought he would be able to manage at the start of the season because of his business commitments, but he’s really enjoyed it and said he’s looking forward to playing all season next year.”

Robinson has not bowled much this summer due to a back injury which has seen him go 13 games without bowling an over, but what Elland may have lacked in that department has been largely made up for by his consistent batting, which saw him top 1,000 for the season three weeks back, with three tons (including a top score of 161) and six half-centuries.

And he has also had a big influence in helping the younger players adjust to life in the top flight, such as former Halifax player Reece Jennison, who has started to put together some useful innings, and who recently opened the innings with Robbo and put on a stand of 173, scoring 89 himself against Hall Bower.

Baxter has had a quiet season by his own standards, passing the half-century mark only four times so far, but he’s likely to finish with around 700 runs, which is not bad for a poorish summer.

It’s definitely on the bowling front where Elland have lacked bite, with spinner Acharya their leading wicket-taker, while Rob Laycock, Chris Goulden and Rhodes are improving all the time, but as Jakeman rightly identifies, a top-class strike bowler would make them a far more effective unit.

“I’d like to think that next year we will be in the mix,” added the skipper.

“It is widely recognised around the league (and has been for many years) if you ever finish above Elland at the end of the season, then you’re in with a good chance of winning the League!”

The League need strength in depth and with Elland’s rich history and tradition I think the League need Elland to be up there fighting for honours with the likes of Honley, Skelmanthorpe, Delph and Shelley.