New-look York prepare for the campaign

9:32am Thursday 24th April 2008

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RETAINING the Oxbridge Yorkshire Premier League crown is York Cricket Club's ambition this season - and it's a new-look side that will be hoping to terrorise the best of the county.

Clifton Park hosts Rotherham Town on Saturday in the season opener and captain Marcus Wood, who leads York for the fifth year, is optimistic it can be another good year.

He will be skippering a vastly different outfit from the team which enjoyed so much success last time around. Both opening batsmen, Dan Broadbent and Stephen Piercy, have left the club and Nick Thornicroft, a former Yorkshire county cricketer, has relocated to Scotland and is also unavailable.

Coming through the doors is Alex Renton who has joined York following seven successful seasons at Clifton Alliance. An off-spin bowler and left-hand batsman, Renton was instrumental in Alliance's championship winning side last summer.

Former junior Neil Laidlaw has come back to the club following success with Thirsk. The leading wicket-taker in the York and District Senior League last year, the right-hand paceman is also a competent middle order batsman.

Yorkshire Under-15s player Richard Love, son of Tykes legend Jim Love, is regarded as one of the county's brightest prospects and has joined York from Church Fenton.

A left-arm opening bowler, Love has the ability to move the ball both ways and his variation will be vital on Clifton Park's usually flat wicket and, following a successful season with Chester-le-Street, York have welcomed back Tom Bartram.

Following three years as a member of the Durham UCCE side, club chiefs are hopeful the first-team regular in 2005 and 2006 will have a big impact this season.

Last year, York were crowned premier league champions for the second time in four years and, alongside the aim of winning that crown once more, the club also have high hopes in the Cockspur National Knockout.

As reigning champions, York have also been invited to represent the league in the Black Sheep Yorkshire Champion of Champions trophy and victory in this competition will also be high on the club's agenda.

For the fourth successive season, the club will be sponsored by supermarket chain Costcutter, whose cash has helped York develop superb training facilities and seen them recognised by the ECB as a focus club for cricket in England.