KEIGHLEY Cricket Club want to field a third team in the Mewies Solicitors Craven League next season.

Club chairman Paul Barker is hoping that they can build on the success of both their junior and senior sides last season and provide a steady stream of players who are good enough to push into their first and second teams.

Barker said: “The model that we want to follow is that of Pudsey St Lawrence.

“They don’t pay a lot in terms of money, but they have won the Bradford League in three years out of the last four, primarily via local lads who have progressed through their junior ranks.”

Barker, who admitted that they haven’t yet found a ground to play on, said that their third team would primarily be made up of this season’s under-15s, plus two or three older heads.

He added: “We may even play some of our under-13s who we deem to be up to that level, and the carrot is for our local lads to go on and play for either our first or second team.

“We already think that we have enough players, but may need two or three more as we don’t want to be in a situation where we only have eight players in the team when it comes to summer holidays, but even then we have some more experienced players that we can call on if needs be.”

Keighley had a trophy-filled campaign at both senior and junior level this year, with the first and second teams being promoted as winners of All Rounder Cricket Bradford Premier League Championship Division Two, while their under-19s won their county cup, the under-17s being runners-up in the Airedale Junior League and, in the Bradford Junior League, the under-15s sharing their cup with Pudsey St Lawrence and the under-13s winning the league.

The application of Keighley’s third team will be discussed at the Craven League annual meeting on Monday at Cross Hills Social Club (7.30pm).

Also being discussed will be the application from Bradford Mutual Sunday School League champions Salem Athletic to play in 2020.

A discussion will take place about Heaton-based Salem, who won Mutual Group A and were fourth in Group B this season as well as winning the H Broadbent Trophy for second teams, at the Craven League’s annual meeting, and a vote will take place in March.

Salem Athletic also won the Mutual League’s Group A in 2013, the Sir James Roberts Cup for first teams in 2011 and 2013 and the H Broadbent Trophy in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2017.

Meanwhile, Keighley players and staff enjoyed a memorable evening at the Bradford Premier League award ceremony by picking up no fewer than eight trophies after their successful 2018 season, which saw both first and second teams promoted to Championship One for the 2019 season.

The event, which was held at Headingley, saw league chairman David Young heap much praise upon the Lawkholme Lane outfit for their resurgence.

Individual awards went to first team skipper Paul Quinlan (best bowler award for Championship Two first teams), Hami Shahzad (best bowler award for Championship Two second teams), Adam Smith (best wicketkeeper award for Championship Two first teams) and the Unsung Hero award for Keighley secretary Jo Walker.