NEWS

INFORMATION

Only Group winners progress to the semi-finals which are scheduled for Thursday 2nd June [U-15] and Friday 3rd June [u-13].

Key to the Oakworth batting has been the form of opener Jacob Stephens who has remained unbeaten with four consecutive fifties [203 runs]. For leaders GHC Subhaan Ahmed [an Oakworth junior] leads the batting with 78 runs. Finlay Walker leads the Skipton batsmen with 115 runs. George Elrick is top man at Sutton with 79 runs with Harrison Brierley &  Lewis Verdeyen of Oxenhope each on 53 runs. Oakworth also have the leading wicket taker in leggie Charlie Raby on 10 just ahead of Skipton's Adam Harding on 9. Ifzan Shafique and Razi Raiz with five each are top attackers for GHC with Jack Whittaker also on 5 for Sutton. Lewis Verdeyen has 3 wickts for Oxenhope.

The First round of the John Hindle Memorial Cup for under-13s unfolds on Monday evening [16th May]. Holders Great Horton Church CC will host Oakworth whilst Steeton face Earby, Settle will entertain Bradley and Skipton will take on Crossflatts.  

Click HERE  for further details relating to Observation Days

Deadline to complete the online booking form is Wednesday 25^th May. A confirmation e-mail will be sent inc further details of date, time and venue. This will be sent by Friday 27^th May.

If you have any problems relating to any of the above or queries please contact your Regional Cricket Convener below.

East & Central - Andrew Inns, a.inns@yorkshirecb.com or 07790-243703

North - John Green, johngreen108@btopenworld.com or 07914-693116

South - Chris Marples, chris.marps@icloud.com or 07720-656521

West - Mark Harrison, m.harrison@yorkshirecb.com or 07917-225848

Should the weather prove inclement [not likely] the reserve date is Monday 16th May.

UAJCA u15s asserted themselves at sunny Sowerby Bridge CI CC with an emphatic victory against the Halifax Junior League. Chasing a 151-7 score, UAJCA batsmen excelled smashing their way to the win with over 11 overs to spare. Leading the batsmen were Aaron MacRae [Skipton] 56 ret, skipper Mustapha Hussain [GHC] 34 and Jack Caton [Settle] 24. The batsmen built on excellent work from bowlers Aaron 2-13 and Nathan Joseph [Steeton] 2-17. For Halifax Louis Judd 54 and Dan Jones 47 gave them a good total but the Halifax bowling toiled.

UAJCA is now advised by Denholme CC that due to parental non-commital to our programme, the Denholme under-9s team have withdrawn from the Association' softball development programme for 2022. Replacement fixtures have been scheduled.

Good luck to all our clubs and teams enjoy the cricket, enjoy the summer!

Our batting reply was led by Oakworth 18 years-old Bradley Powell with 58 and Oakworth team mate Akeel Umar with 38. The winning runs came off an inside edge from skipper Ollie Bishop with almost 4 overs in hand.

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On 1st April, the government’s guidance on COVID-19 measures for grassroots sport participants and providers was lifted. To align with this policy change, ECB has also removed any cricket specific guidance relating to COVID-19. As such, clubs and leagues will no longer be required to follow any protocols aside from the single piece of public health guidance issued by UK Health Security Agency.

This good news means we have the green light to return to business as usual for the 2022 season. However, we continue to encourage players and coaches to be responsible and considerate to others. Click here for more information.

You may also wish to early adopt MCC’s new Law 41.3 - No saliva to help reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

The squad will be Lucas Keslinke [Capt, w/k], Oliver Bishop, Max Seddon, Jake Keslinke, Charlie Raby, Jake Holroyd, Hammad Hussain, Akeel Umar, Richard Bradley,  Subhaan Ahmed & Bradley Powell

The only section without a sponsor is the Softball Development Programme. If you know of any local business that might be interested in supporting our most rapidly growing recruitment group, please let the Secretary know.

To see the full list of fixtures go to the Girls Page [Menu above] or to the Results & Tables on the Menu

The matches will be an 8-aside Pairs format of 16 overs per team with a 5-run penalty for each wicket lost. Lbw dismissals will not be allowed but there will be bonus pints for scoring 50 runs and/or taking 5 wickets. In addition to the Home and Away league fixtures a 4-team mini-tournament will be held at one of the grounds as a competition for the Girls Festival Cup. This will likely be on Sunday 21st August

One week later on Sunday 10th July the under-11s Final [10:00am] and the under-15s Final [2:00pm] will unfold at Skipton CC

That there are lots of youngsters in the district wishing to take up Cricket is not in doubt and UAJCA clubs have responded superbly to the challenge of maintaining their teams with volunteers. UAJCA is well set to forge ahead and build yet further in the coming years.

The 2nd season of u12s Cup competition sees Upper Airedale grouped with Bradford, Heavy Woollen and Huddersfield in a tough Group A for a revamped competition in 2022. Matches will be 35-0vers aside and all 3 matches to be completed by mid-July.

The intention is that two groups will play 3 fixtures with the top two qualifying for semi-finals and a final in August.

The Group B includes Scarborough, Nidderdale, Wetherby-Leeds and Aire-Wharfe.

The first player registrations of 2022 have been approved today 14th February for four youngsters from Crossflatts CC. With two new clubs and 13 new teams UAJCA is expecting a pre-season rush of player registrations from its 20 clubs. The current database holds 1,110 player registrations although some will no doubt be shed pre-season. Nevertheless the immediate future promises a much healthier position than at any time in the last 10 years.

County proposals to rationalise when 2022 Yorkshire Festival fixtures are played to fit in with County trials, etc have been accepted and the u13 & u15 Festivals will now be played during Spring Bank week [except Finals].

UAJCA returned to the fabulous Malham Suite at the Rendezvous Hotel in Skipton after a 1-year absence due to Covid-19 lockdown regulations. This time in order to minimise risks of infection the awards presentation was split into five separate age-related phases to reduce the numbers of attendees in the room at any one time.

For 2021 we were honoured with guests: Mr Mark Arthur from Yorkshire County Cricket Club and Rachael Slater a young professional with the Northern Diamonds which is based at Headingly.

The officials led the thanks for UAJCA principal Partners

and all the competition sponsors CartaSport, Brook Taverner, Pro Coach Yorkshire Cricket, The Keighley Cup Committee, Black Rat Cricket, and of course the Rendezvous Hotel for continued invaluable support over many years. In addition Dobson & Robinson [Ilkley] and M C Sports [Skipton] generously support UAJCA Representative Teams with kit discounts. UAJCA is also grateful to photographer Neil Bishop for the photography Rendezvous Awards [a few early movements have produced blurring].

The long-awaited Barritt-Stephenson Cup Final was finally played at The Flatt, Oxenhope CC on Sunday 5th September. Skipton won the toss and elected to field. The early wicket of Syed Hussain by Aniq Tabassum was a great start for the Aire-Wharfe boys but then no 3 Mohammed Taha Iftikhar joined Hashim Khokhar in a great stand to bring the Bradford boys back into contention. Mohammed retired with 25 to his name whilst Hashim [22] was eventually caught off the bowling of 10th bowler Ed Swallow who also bowled Subhaan Ghaffar [8] in his one over. The GHC total reached 87-3 to leave the match potentially evenly-poised. All the Skipton bowlers stuck at their task admirably.

Skipton openers Tom McCormick and Blake Aldersley really knuckled down and their opening stand of 32 gave them great heart. Blake was bowled by Ayaan Munawar for 19 whilst Tom was a victim for Simrah Ahmed for 10. But 16 fielding extras and Aniq Tabassum kept Skipton well in the limelight and his 25 retirement set up a likely win. But the overs were running out and when Skipton reached 84-5 only 4 runs were needed for a North Conference victory. But the pressure told and wickets for Mohammed Zain Khan, Ayaan Ahsan and Hashim Khokhar were followed by run outs for Harris Taylor and Thomas Peart to confound the Skipton charge at 86-8. GHC had claimed a remarkable win by the narrowest of margins on the last ball of the match. It was GHC fourth win in consecutive seasons. Congratulations to Zaffran and his team. But the winning accolades also go to the game itself which proved a superb advert for local junior cricket. Well done to all that took part. The joint Players of teh Match were adjudged as Mohammed Taha [GHC] and Aniq Tabassum [Skipton] who almost snatched the result with his fine batting.

Former UAJCA young cricketer Will Luxton reflected on his excellent debut 68 after rain prevented Yorkshire and Northamptonshire from pursuing a Royal London Cup victory at Scarborough.

18-year-old batsman Luxton came into Yorkshire’s team for his first-team debut and brilliantly led a recovery from 69-6 to 222 all out.The Bradford Grammar School educated right-hander was watched by his parents amongst other family and hit five fours and two sixes down the ground in an 85-ball knock which ended with a standing ovation from large parts of the 2,169 crowd.

Yorkshire’s Academy captain shared recovering half-century partnerships with Matthew Waite and Mat Pillans and said: “It was a pretty good feeling to be out there.  “The crowd was class and all my team-mates were behind me. “It gives me that confidence that I can do it in the next few games.”

In 16 games across all cricket, including this game and two Yorkshire friendlies against Durham at Emerald Headingley in March, Luxton has scored 513 runs with a century and three fifties.

“I’ve been going alright in the Academy this year,” he said. “I haven’t played much second team, but it’s been good.”

The Northants chase was aborted at 2-0 after five balls, with no play beyond 3.05pm. A restart was pencilled in for 5.50pm when the visitors would have required 71 more from 9.1 overs to complete the minimum 10 overs to constitute a game. But a wet outfield prevented that.

“We said it was a tricky pitch and it did a bit,” added Luxton. “Our start wasn’t great, but we’ve got a decent bowling attack. So why couldn’t we have defended 223? “If we struggled with our batting, so could they. “We were always confident, but we just needed to get off to that good start. Unfortunately we weren’t able to do it.”

The Championship Play-Off with the North Conference winners is scheduled for Friday 23rd July at either of the team grounds. The North Conference is as yet unresolved with Skipton and Settle in contention.  Skipton have one remaining fixture away at Sutton whilst Settle must play U Wharfedale [Away] and Embsay [Home].

At Grassington on 4th July an early wicket for Skipton u13s by Aniq Tabassum was a good start to the Hindle Cup Final. But the GHC batsmen gradually turned up the heat with Ibrahim Khan and Eshaan Lohdi both retiring at better than a run per ball.  As the GHC total mounted, the Skipton fielding became more ragged and later batsmen Abdullah Hussain, Subhaan Ali and Armaan Mahmood really pressed the accelerator and GHC tally propelled to 221-4 after 29 overs when lightning brought the players from the field.  GHC declared their innings and the two managers consulted to complete the match the following Sunday at Skipton CC.

Sadly for the North Conference winners their innings subdued meekly with only former County opener Joe Birks resisting on 19before bowled by Subhaan Ali. Their total reached just 57 in the 13th over when the curtain finally fell granting GHC a 164 run margin. Subhaan Ali returned 4-5 from 21 balls backed by Noah Thirkill with 3-5 from 18.  So GHC retained the Hindle Cup in grand style for a further 12 months.

Yet more honours for UAJCA with the selection of Sutton's Sam Stoneman for the County under-12s. Well done Sam... keep up with the pressure and fly the flag

Oakworth under-18s faced Skipton in the T20 competition for the u-18 Championship at Wide Lane and batted first. Half-centuries for Ellis Marshall [28 balls] and Lucas Keslinke [25 balls] were the pace-setters but the back up from James Powell 41 [20 balls], Bilaal Khan 33 [26 balls] and Bradley Powell 25 [11 balls] propelled their score to 238-5 to eclipse the previous UAJCA u-17/18 record set in 2009 by Sutton's Championship team against Haworth. Skipton gamely pursued but expired at 110-9 [Capt Ben Southern 27 no]

Great Horton Church player and skipper of UAJCA Hamza Saeed has at last been recognised for his efforts and has been selected for the County under-14s squad. Well done Hamza, great work.

Oakworth CC' Joe Powell has made it through the Regional Cricket selection process into the County under-11s squad.

 Joe, who plays for North Yorkshire will be hoping to follow other UAJCA players and make his presence felt and gain a long term position for the County. The really hard work starts now!

Superbly well done Joe. Congratulations

Under-10s report to follow.....

Alex Hall [Earby], Archie Brooksbank [Crossflatts], Armaan Mahmood [GHC], Ben Jolly [Earby], Charlie Price [Skipton], Eddie Fordham [Oxenhope], Freddie Ward [Earby], Noah Kennedy [Skipton], Ryan Lee [Skipton], Sam Stoneman [Sutton], Thomas Mountain [Embsay], Sam Walker [Settle], Mohammed Hassan Khan GHC] and Tobias O’Shaughnessy [Crossflatts].

 Click to Watch Will

Former Skipton junior James Mukherjee [photo courtesy John Heald] returned a tidy 0-21 from 8 overs as the Durham batsmen made hay.