YORK Cricket Club skipper Nick Kay has declared his new-look side intend to regain their Solly Sports Yorkshire ECB County Premier League title.

The Clifton Park veteran has stepped into the hot seat following the departure of Daniel Woods, who will captain Minor Counties side Cheshire this season.

Kay, faced with the loss of his leading wicket-taker in Woods and 1,000-run batsman Jack Leaning, who will spearhead Yorkshire’s drive for back-to-back County Championships, has recruited widely in a bid to take York back to the top.

The Shipton Road side finished second in the Yorkshire League last season - ending a span of seven successive titles - and York have brought in overseas opener Adam Whatley, wicket-keeper Tom Brooks, along with Chris Booth, Jack Neil and former Leicestershire academy player Danny Murty to help them launch a new title assault.

On becoming York captain, Kay said: “It is a new experience for me. I never held any ambition to captain the club. I always felt there were people who are a lot better suited to the role than me.

“People in the club and the players said they thought I should do it and it is a real privilege for me and an incredible honour.

“It’s the club I have represented for 20 years and it is something that I wanted to do.

“We have to focus on getting a settled team - ensuring the same players are available week in and week out and that starts with the skipper.

“We have brought in people who will be able to play in 90 to 95 per cent of the games and it is good that there are some new faces.

“It gives lads who have played for the club for a while a bit of a kick.”

Kay added: “Replicating Dan’s wickets will be the hardest thing.

“In our batting, Simon Lambert is capable of scoring well over 1,000 runs, as is Liam McKendry, and Ryan McKendry is also that good.

“Woody’s 100 wickets, and 80 in the league, will be the toughest thing to replace but Charlie Elliot, and myself, will have to do far more with the ball than we have in the past.

“It brings an opportunity. Everyone will have to contribute.

“We have players with huge potential and, hopefully, this season we can start to prove that.”

Whatley, an opening bat who can bowl seam and played with Leaning at Sutherland in Australia, came “highly recommended”, added Kay.

“He’s 21 and Jack rates him highly. He has had experience of playing league cricket in Newcastle and he is a very good player,” he explained.

“Tom Brooks was on the radar at Lincolnshire and has been playing for Appleby Frodingham for the past two or three years. He wants to play at the highest standard he can and he is a very fine wicket-keeper.

“That will allow Liam McKendry to bowl for us.”

Kay continued: “Chris Booth is a teacher at Ampleforth and, although he will miss quite a few League games on Saturdays, he will be fantastic in the national knockout.

“He’s a mid-order batsman who can keep well and he looks a really top league player.

“Jack Neil is a seam bowler who has relocated from Milton Keynes and will be pushing for a first team place and Danny Murty was on Leicestershire’s academy books.

“He has taken a place at the University of York and looks a very good, solid batsman.”

Ahead of the new season, captain Kay declared: “I am really happy with the way the winter has gone. We have got a lot deeper squad.

We have got 17 or 18 players who are going to be first-team standard and that’s good from my point of view.

“We want to win every competition we turn up in - the national knockout and the T20. It’s the last year of the Yorkshire League as we know it and we intend to win it.”