Joseph Sayers and Tim Linley, two former students of St Mary's RC School, Menston, have gained places in the Oxford Academy Cricket squad this year with Sayers set tp captain the side.

Sayers is now in his second year of his three-year Physics degree at Worcester College, Oxford, and having gained his cricket Blue for the university last year, will captain the Academy team in the coming season.

Tim Linley began the first year of his degree in Physical geography at Oxford Brookes University in September and has shown early promise as part of the Academy squad.

The Oxford Academy is one of six University Centres of Cricketing Excellence (UCCEs) which were established by the ECB three years ago. The Oxford UCCE is a partnership between Oxford University and Oxford Brookes University and has successfully retained first class status for its third year of existence.

Sayers and his squad will therefore welcome the likes of Shane Warne, Abdur Razzaq and Graeme Hick to The Parks next April and May, where they will turn out for their respective county teams.

Linley and Sayers were part of the St Mary's team whose victory in the Yorkshire Post Schools Challenge Cup final at Headingley was the first of three such victories for the school in the competition.

The two players have since met in opposition in matches between their respective local clubs. Sayers played his club cricket at Guiseley CC before he gained a contract with the Yorkshire county staff, whilst Linley still turns out for Horsforth CC in the Airedale and Wharfedale League.

As a right arm seamer with promising action and increasing speed and strength, Linley is a welcome addition to the Oxford Academy squad, who relied heavily on only two main seamers last season. By working regularly with the team coach Graham Charlesworth Linley has already made significant improvements to his game and is looking forward to his debut at The Parks.

Sayers meanwhile has been spending the early weeks of the off-season selecting the squad to compete in the summer and has acquired the assistance of professional fitness instructors to monitor the condition of the squad through the coming months.

Captaining the Oxford UCCE is without question an experience that will stand Sayers in good stead in pursuit of his goal to captain his county and country.

Director of PE at St Mary's David Geldart said: "The appearance of these two young cricketers from St Mary's in the Oxford UCCE side is a testimony not only to the school but also to the cricket rich Airedale and Wharfedale region in which they began their sporting careers."