KEIGHLEY Cricket Club have announced their first major signing of the close season with the capture of James Massheder from Yeadon.

Massheder is an exciting young leg-spinner who has played for both Yeadon and Idle in Championship One of the Bradford League.

He has played first team cricket in the Bradford League for the last six years and has well over 200 scalps to his name.

The last two full seasons saw Massheder take 47 wickets (2018) and 53 wickets (2019) at an average of 16.8.

He was also a key part of the Yeadon team that won the Jack Hampshire Cup in 2019, and his performance in the final saw him named man of the match.

With Yeadon deciding not to play cricket due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Massheder decided to ply his trade on loan at Keighley in 2020, becoming an instant success in the few games that the team had.

Playing with a young team (including younger brother Sam, Keighley’s wicket-keeper) has inspired Massheder to want more of the same this time around and he did not hesitate in signing on the dotted line.

The leggie is very upbeat about Keighley’s chances for the up and coming season and has admitted he is eyeing promotion to the Bradford League’s top flight.

Most of the youngsters have been competing at this level (Championship) over several seasons already, and with the experienced Richard Holland and Paul Quinlan in the ranks too, there is that balance there.