SESSAY are among the favourites for the division one crown in the Hunters York & District Senior Cricket League.

The premier division campaign started last weekend, but the lower divisions get under way tomorrow with four places in the top flight up for grabs.

Reorganisation of league cricket in Yorkshire will see the top teams from the Senior League move into the new-look Yorkshire League set up, with a knock on for teams lower down the pyramid.

Sessay narrowly missed out on promotion last time around when results went against them on the last day of the season.

They have had a change of captaincy, with Mark Wilkie taking over from Stephen Langstaff, while a massive plus for them is the signing of prolific batsman Simon Mason from Woodlands in the Bradford League.

Mason scored more than 1,000 runs in four of his last five seasons during a spell with York in the Yorkshire League.

Folkton & Flixton, Pickering, and Goole were all fairly close to promotion last year and will be expecting to challenge.

In division two north, Duncombe Park and Harrogate will be aiming to push for promotion again. Ripon have made a number of signings, but other teams also look strong.

In the southern division, Hornsea, Patrington and Acomb II just missed out on going up last year, but with the York-based side now in the northern division, the challenge may come from Woodhouse Grange II.

In division three north, Sessay II were unlucky to miss out last term, so they can be expected to go close again.

However, the southern section contains clubs who have made multiple signings. Scarborough have a new captain in Mark Cowell, who has joined from Bedale.

Hemingbrough have also been making signings, with both Matty Clark and Tom Collins rejoining from Selby, and Matthew Whitaker moving from Eggborough in the Pontefract League.