CRICKETERS in the HPH York Vale League can’t wait to lap up the new season which starts on Saturday.

To acknowledge the unsung work done by people who provide teas, the league has launched a new award to find the club cricket tea of the year.

The idea of improving teas was put to the league management committee by Ruth Steels, who puts on a spread for teams at Melbourne.

It gave the committee food for thought and it obtained sponsorship from Hull-based The Insurance Partnership and the Royal York Hotel, who will provide the winners with afternoon tea for four.

To help clubs to get their teas in apple-pie order Sainsbury’s have provided each Vale League club with a box of 80 teabags of their own brand brew. The supermarket chain will also present the winner with a voucher to spend in their stores.

Throughout the season clubs will be invited to tell the management committee who puts on the best teas by emailing teas@yorkvale.co.uk or tweeting @yorkvalecricket.

The winner will be announced at the annual awards dinner on Saturday, October 12.

Ian Hakes, chairman of The Insurance Partnership, said: “We are delighted to support local cricket in this way and wish all teams the very best.”

The Vale League is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year and is launching the season with a Cash For Runs challenge for the Lord Mayor of York’s charity appeal in support of the York area Special Olympics squad.

Players will be asked to donate ten pence for every run they score in the first fixture of the summer.

North Cave will begin the defence of their division one title with a trip to Hirst Courtney.

Fulfordgate, last season’s division two champions, travel to Burn, while fellow promoted sides Kelfield and Askham Bryan face Stockton & Hopgrove and Bishopthorpe respectively.

The top-flight opening day fixture list is completed with Ovington entertaining Hemingbrough.