Review of the 2006 season
UNHELPFUL weather spoiled an otherwise successful CYL season. Despite a summer of soaring temperatures, rain played a big part in deciding the outcome of numerous matches. Some clubs were involved in as many as seven rain-affected games, almost a third of their league fixtures.

Townville and Wrenthorpe, last season’s top two, again dominated the Premier Division title race. This time Wrenthorpe came out on top, pipping last year’s champions Townville by one point. There was double celebration for Wrenthorpe because their second-team lifted the Third Divison title. New Farnley were Premier Division championship contenders at half-way but they finished mid-table after collecting only 20 points from their last 11 matches.Methley finished third, one place ahead of promoted Wakefield City, who made a big impact in their first season in the top-flight. Townville, who were in with a chance of lifting three trophies at the start of September, finished the campaign empty-handed after losing in the finals of the Yorkshire Council Championship play-offs and the Black Sheep Yorkshire Champions Trophy.

Ossett flirted with relegation but they put their inconsistent league form behind them to lift the Jack Hampshire Trophy for the second time in three seasons, beating Mirfield Parish Cavaliers in the final. Ossett also had two of the season’s leading performers in Mohammed Shah Nawaz and Nick Connolly. Nawaz and Townville’s Glen Yates were the top-flight’s joint leading wicket-takers with 53.

Townville’s Tim Walton, with 940 league runs, was the Premier Division’s leading scorer for the second successive season. Birstall’s Indian batsman Connor Williams was second with 866, followed by Wrenthorpe’s Dave Paynter (859) and Ossett’s Aussie batsman Connolly (808).

East Ardsley and Wakefield St Michael’s were relegated from the Premier Division. Their places will be taken by Carlton and Liversedge who fought out a close battle for the First Division championship. Carlton, relegated last season, will return to the top-flight as champions after pipping Liversedge by one point. Carlton also continued CYL’s dominance of the Secondary Yorkshire Council Championship when they lifted the trophy for the third time in seven seasons by crushing South Yorkshire League Hallam in the final. Liversedge, whose solitary league defeat was at Carlton on the opening day, had the CYL’s top wicket-taker this season in left-arm spinner Simon Purdy who bagged 91.

Buttershaw St Paul’s bounced back from last season’s disappointing campaign in great style. Both their teams won championships after they were both relegated in 2005. The St Paul’s first team took the Second Division title and the second string were top dogs in the Fourth Division.

Meanwhile, the CYL’s representative teams were unable to repeat last season’s success in the Yorkshire Senior Leagues Trophy and Leeds Area Council KO Cup. CYL lost to Yorkshire League in the semi-finals of the Senior Leagues competition and they were beaten by Huddersfield Central League in the Leeds Area Cup final.