SCHOLES’ cricket chairman Paul Calvert is settling down for a longer innings when it comes to his club’s maiden season in the JCT600 Bradford League.

“Finishing in the top half of the Second Division table is my aim as we want to consolidate having moved from the Central Yorkshire League.

“However, our skipper James Stansfield, who has played all the time in the Bradford League apart from last season with us, is 36 now.

“He realises that time may be running out on his chances of playing at the top level, so he understandably wants promotion this season.”

Scholes, who host Yeadon tomorrow before facing Pudsey Congs on Sunday in the first round of the Heavy Woollen Cup, have been recruiting in a bid to cope in the Bradford League.

Calvert said: “We have signed Kasir Maroof, who has played for Pudsey St Lawrence, Yeadon and Baildon and will bat in the top four, and we have also signed the highly-regarded Toby Thorpe from Copley in the Halifax League.

“However, our overseas player Ali Waqas has been selected by Pakistan A for their tour of Sri Lanka, and therefore won’t be available for the start of the season. We will be seeking some short-term cover for him.”

Calvert explained that there were four main reasons for Scholes switching leagues, with firstly: “The umpires for second-team matches are not independent.”

He added: “The Bradford League is well run administratively, and also we had long trips to Townville, Wakefield, Methley and Altofts, whereas in Bradford League Division Two we immediately have five derbies in Hartshead Moor, Brighouse, Spen Victoria, Gomersal and Bankfoot, all of which are less than ten minutes from our ground.

“And finally, we hope that by being in the Bradford League, which has showed its ambition by moving towards Premier League status, we hope to attract a better standard of player, because the move to the Bradford League was player driven.

“We initially thought about it five or six years ago but felt that the standard of the Second Division wasn’t strong enough then but it was when we thought about it again three years ago.”

The two top matches in Division One tomorrow are champions Cleckheaton’s visit Bradford & Bingley, who were fourth last season, and Woodlands at home to New Farnley.

Two players hoping to reach first-team bowling landmarks are Cleck’s Iain Wardlaw, who has 498 league victims, and Bankfoot’s Greg Colehan (home to Spen Victoria), who has 999 and is bidding to become only the 13th to reach four figures.