THE NYSD cricket season begins this weekend and clubs are girding their loins as they approach the new campaign with renewed hope and nerve-tingling anticipation.
The 2025 Premier League was one of the very best in recent memory with four teams battling it out all season and the title only decided on the final day as Barnard Castle clinched the ultimate prize to become only the fourth team in the NYSD’s 132-year history to take the ‘triple crown’ of league, Kerridge and Macmillan.
It will take a Herculean effort for Barney to repeat that feat, but in their new overseas pro, Suminda Lakshan, they have gained proven quality – the Sri Lankan played for Great Ayton last season scoring just under 800 league runs and taking 57 wickets in a struggling side.
Just over the dales, arch rivals Richmondshire have secured the services of Indian Lalith Mohan who has 125 first-class wickets to his name, but other than that there is not too much change with the club able to call on the services of the prolific Shaffi Ghafari when he is not playing for Durham. Owen Kelly returns to his boyhood club, but last year’s skipper, Bob Carr, will only be able to play on the odd occasion due to work. Dan Hodgson takes over as captain.
Newly promoted Darlington swept aside Division One at the first time of asking and new skipper Nathan Wright got his team off to a flying start to 2026 scoring a century in the Quakers' hammering of NEPL side Boldon in the National Club Cup last Sunday. New arrivals Qasim Akram, a 23-year-old Pakistani who previously captained his national team at Under-19 level, and Scott Steel, who has previously played for Durham and Leicestershire, join a squad bursting with talent.
There has been a significant amount of player ‘churn’ at both Saltburn and Darlington RA, most notably the move of last year’s top league run scorer, Sachithra Serasinghe, from the Railwaymen to the Seagulls.
RA have plugged the gap with Pakistani professional Jawad Ali, while Durham’s Colin Ackerman is also a recruit and will play when county commitments permit. Saltburn have also sourced their overseas from Pakistan, Mubasir Khan being a young off-spinning all-rounder with a T20 international cap to his name.
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A number of clubs have settled squads. Middlesbrough have recruited leg-spinner Ankur Malik from India, but are otherwise little changed, while Stokesley have the same overseas and line-up that proved extremely competitive in 2025.
Two teams expecting to be challenging for honours are Marton and Hartlepool and they look to have strength in depth.
Marton have signed Asif Afridi. His one Test for Pakistan last October saw him claim six wickets in an innings against World Test champions South Africa. Yorkshire’s Dan Moriarty is also on board and with Gareth Shaw returning they look well placed to mount a serious challenge.
Over at Park Drive, Hartlepool have bolstered their already impressive resources with Luke Symington, the NYSD’s 2025 Young Player of the Year, and overseas pro Mohammad Asghar – he took 108 wickets in his two seasons at Acklam Park.
Bishop Auckland just avoided relegation on the final day of last season, but they have Aussie Brandon Lusk fit and firing as well as new signing Kenzie Peakman from Norton.
Meanwhile, Stockton have gone for pace in their overseas recruitment, Mohammed Adil has a first-class bowling average of 23. There is the added bonus that Lewis Beaumont will be available for the full season after his return from Australia.
Marske are back in the big time. It was 2021 when they were last in the Premier and they openly admit survival and consolidation is the name of the game despite having brought in seven new players. Possibly a case of wait and see.
In hearing from clubs over the last few weeks it was noticeable that virtually all of them mentioned how competitive and strong the league looked this year. Bearing in mind that the last four seasons have seen four different Premier champions it looks as though there is another intriguing season in the offing.
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