Greg Wood is “back where he belongs” at Shepley and focused on making a determined push for honours this season.
The 29-year-old has spent the last couple of years at Wrenthorpe after undergoing knee surgery – he suffered successive problems playing rugby union for Sandal.
The former Yorkshire and England Under 19 cricketer , however, is enjoying leading out the side at Marsh Lane once again, where they are fifth in the Premiership and through to the All Rounder Sykes Cup semi-finals.
Wood believes leaders Hoylandswaine can still be put under pressure in the race to the Byrom Shield Drakes Premiership title, and he’s also gearing for a Cup showdown with the same opposition at Haigh Lane on July 15.
“We set the bar high at the outset, wanting to go for the league and both cups (Sykes and Heavy Woollen),” said Wood, whose brother Dan is part of a strong Shepley batting line-up.
“Unfortunately New Farnley knocked us out of the Heavy Woollen – they are a very strong side – but we still have the Premiership and Sykes Cup to go for and we’ll give it all we’ve got.”
Having lost in two finals already, Wood is eager to make it third time lucky this summer.
“Fingers crossed!” smiled Wood, who played for England in the Under 19 World Cup in Sri Lanka in 2006, reaching the semi-finals.
“I 100% want to have another crack in the final. I’ve played in two so far and been on the wrong side of the result in both.
“We played Delph (2012) and Hoylandswaine the following year and lost them both, so I definitely want to put that right if I can.”
Wood showed his determination to do just that with a match-winning 98 off 63 balls against Clayton West in the quarter-finals and, while he describes semi-final opponents Swaine as a “fantastic side”, he’s also confident in the ability of his own XI after returning to take charge.
“When I left Shepley it was because I had damaged my knee and I needed surgery, missing a full season,” explained the man who was Denis Compton Award winner for Yorkshire (Most Promising Young Player) in 2005.
“I then injured my other knee, so when I got back I just played a third of a season at Wrenthorpe, my local junior club, and I’ve stayed there for a couple of years – but now I’m back where I belong!
“We’ve had a steady start and I think we can still push.
“We’ve made a decent acquisition in John Anderson (from Sydney grade cricket club Northern Districts), whose brother Dan was with us previously.
“John is an opening bat who looks a very good player. He’s taken a few weeks to get used to English conditions, but he really looks like he is starting to find a bit of form, so hopefully he will come good in the second half of the season and score some big runs for us.
“We pride ourselves on our batting. We reckon any of our top 10 would get in the top three or four at most clubs so we are happy with that.
“We definitely have strength in depth and runs on the board are so important in this league.
“Bowling wise we’ve got Danny Glover and Nasir Jamal, our stalwarts who everyone knows about, and we’ve also got young Archie Greaves, who really looks to be coming good.
“Archie is bowling pretty quick and he’s been taking the new ball for us with Danny going to first change.
“He’s looking a really good prospect and we’ve got Nadim Hussain ad a couple of spinners as well in Ollie Davidson and Abbas Ahmed, so we have decent options and balance.”
So what are his thoughts on captaincy and the Drakes top division?
“I’m enjoying being captain,” he said.
“It can be challenging at times because we have some big personalities in the side, but they are a good bunch of lads.
“There are some really good sides in the league. Obviously Swaine are a fantastic team and if you don’t play well against them then you are not going to beat them.
“But I think there is strength in depth and the league is just getting better and better.
“Every week when you turn up, you know that if you don’t play well then you are not going to win – and that’s what you want from a league.
“You don’t want to turn up feeling you are going to win whatever happens. I think we have a really good league, and long may it continue.”
