The Drakes Premiership season starts at 1pm Saturday with one burning question: Can anyone take the title off Hoylandswaine?
The Haigh Lane club powered to the title by 13 points from Delph last season, and the pair of them look like doing battle once more.
Hoylandswaine have signed Pakistaini all-rounder Saeed Anwar Jr, who has played 222 first-class matches during his career.
Anwar averages 35.18 with a highest score of 197 with the bat and has taken 139 wickets at 33.67 with the ball.
Former Delph opening bowler Shakir Muhammad and Durham CCC all-rounder Usman Arshad have signed to bolster the bowling ranks.
Eddie Hurst from the Durham Academy has been signed to replace the retiring Alan Mynett behind the stumps.
Left arm seamer Christian Jackson has signed from Scholes in the Bradford League, while departures include Ryan Robinson (Honley), Imran Arif, Mohammed Bilal and Jamie Harrison.
After their second-place finish last season,
Delph have lost three key players from their squad, but have moved quickly to replace them.
Indian overseas Shreevats Goswami has signed for the Sunrises Hyderabad in the IPL, but has been replaced by Pakistaini left-arm quick bowler Waqas Maqsood.
The ex-Baildon man plays first-class cricket for Faisalabad and has taken 217 wickets at an average of 23.21.
Umer Yaqoob (ex-East Bierley) has been brought in to replace the departing Michael Finan, while Chris Tripper (ex Glossop & Lancashire 2XI) has also signed.
As mentioned, Delph’s leading wicket-taker from last season, Shakir Muhammad (70 wickets at 17.71), has left to join rivals Hoylandswaine.
Shepley, who were third last season, will be led by the returning Greg Wood for the 2018 season, with Danny Glover deciding to step down and be his vice.
Second-grade opening batsmen John Anderson from Northern District CC in Sydney has been signed as the overseas.
His brother, Daniel, scored 942 runs for the Rams in 2016.
Leg-spinner Abbas Ahmad from Skelmanthorpe (41 wickets at 26.05) has been signed to replace Danny Wood, who has left to join Barnsley.
Moorlands are hoping to build on an impressive fourth place from last term and have signed all-rounder Marcus Warmsley from Methley in the Bradford League.
Warmsley scored 774 runs at 51.60 and took 51 wickets at 14.98 last season.
Broad Oak have recruited Kiwi all-rounder Kyran Dill as overseas.
Dill is a medium-fast opening bowler and lower-middle order batsman and comes highly recommended by Henry Cooper, who he plays representative cricket with for Northland.
Oak also welcome back Daniel Rushworth and Conor Woodruff from Slaithwaite, with the latter back from a career-threatening injury.
Young all-rounder Jake Read and his dad Robert (formerly of Golcar), have signed from Leymoor.
Former Australian recruit Dylan Bailie is available for one game against Hoylandswaine in July, as he passes through on his way to watch the Open golf.
Honley have a new captain this season with Timmy Taylor taking charge, and has some returning faces at his disposal – so they are being fancied to do well.
Kiwi opening bowler Brett Randall, who plays first class with Northern Districts, is back for a second season at the club, as well as leg-spinner Tom Craddock, who is hoping to play more games this season.
But their top acquisition is all-rounder Ryan Robinson from Hoylandswaine.
All Rounder Sykes Cup holders
Scholes have signed Sri Lankan top-order batsman Ishan Rangana as their overseas to replace Devon Smith for this season.
The 24-year-old left hander plays for Sri Lanka Ports Authority CC alongside former England Test opener Nick Compton, who recommends him highly.
New Scholes skipper Josh Brook has also recruited former Kirkburton batsmen Yaasar Imtiaz (Yorkshire Academy) while, behind the sticks, Brad Birkhead has been brought in from Rastrick to replace brother Ben, who will be with the Yorkshire academy side for much of the season.
Ibrar Latif has rejoined old club
Cawthorne after a year away.
Twenty-year-old opening bowler Kimson Dazell from Saint Vincent CC in St Lucia will take the new ball alongside Faizal Hussain.
Batsmen Adam Wiles (brother of Liam) has signed from Kexborough, as well as young all-rounder Jacob Deavin-Baker from Nottinghamshire Premier League side Radcliffe-on-Trent.
Deavin-Baker bowls off spin and has represented Notts at age-group level.
Kirkburton captain Craig Fletcher will be delighted to have re-signed New Zealand batsmen Luke Williamson, who scored 643 runs in league and cup last season.
They have also recruited all-round Alex Scholefield from newly relegated Barkisland and left arm spinner Will Reeves from Thongsbridge to boost their bowling attack.
Yorkshire CCC seamer Jack Brooks has signed on and will play for Burton when he’s available, while batsmen Rohan Randhawa will feel like a new signing, having joined for the club half way through last season.
Latest arrival at Riley Lane is Nick Sharpe, who skippered Shelley to the Jedi Sports Championship title last season and won the divisional bowling award.
Departures from the club include George Smith to Cumberworth United and Gavin Smith, who has left for first-team opportunities at Lascelles Hall.
Thongsbridge have two batting signings from Down Under – Jack Cassidy from Auckland and Haydn Slodicki from Perth.
Both have played in this country before, in Norfolk and Staffordshire respectively, and come recommended by Jonathan Hayes (who played a Miry Lane previously) and Jed Standring, who was there last year.
Bowler Ben Balmforth has moved down the Holme Valley from Upperthong to play in the top division, while Rory France has moved from Kirkburton and Saeed Badar from Linthwaite.
Tony Robery is now with the club as Director of Coaching and Thongsbridge are hoping he will get at least 10% more from everyone on the books under new skipper Ben Raven-Hill (Richard Wagstaff is taking the Seconds this term).
The club have had to refurb their tearoom after flooding, but outstanding work by Gerald Kemp and Andy Cullen has pulled it off in time for the opener.
Armitage Bridge have signed Kiwi all-rounder Tony Treadaway, an opening bowler and a top-order batsmen, and are joined by long-serving Scholes wicketkeeper Richard ‘Bubbles’ Holmes.
All-rounder Nathan Swift has signed from Kirkheaton, having taken 31 Championship wickets last season at an average of 20.90.
Golcar will be aiming to improve on last season’s third-bottom finish, having signed Jacob Mulhall from Lepton and Oliver Pearson from Rastrick.
Sam Mills is the club’s Aussie all rounder from the Richmond club in Melbourne.
Will Hinchliffe is back to full fitness and will lead the attack.
Promoted Championship champions
Shelley have lost skipper Nick Sharpe (to Kirkburton) and will be led by Martin Sykes.
They are in the process of landing Sri Lankan first-class batsman Kusal Edusuriya, 20, from the Navy Sports Club, and have re-signed young left-arm spinner Mo Bhoola from Kirkburton and brought back experienced Pakistani international batsman Muhammad Ramzan, who is now 47.
After successive promotions, the Mirfield Parish Cavaliers have brought in 19-year-old Zimbabwean Aidan Hawkesworth, a batsman and leg-spin bowler.
Ali Nadeem (keeper-bat) from Elland and Abdul Qadir, a batsman from Idle, have also joined to play alongside Naz Hussain.
