A former Bradford League cricketer has hit the spot with his new innovation.

Richard Blackledge, who bowled for Yeadon, Eccleshill and Ben Rhydding, is currently conducting trials on his Hotspot Impact Marker Sheet, which leaves a visual record of every point of contact the ball makes with the bat.

The adhesive sheet is designed to help batsmen increase their ratio of hitting the sweet spot and is being developed from Blackledge’s home in Los Angeles, where he regularly takes part in matches.

He played alongside Robert Key, Simon Jones, Graeme Hick and Gareth Batty for England in the annual Hollywood Ashes match against the Aussies, grabbing the coveted wicket of Steve Waugh in the inaugural contest.

He has also represented the United States in the Moin Ud Dowlah Tournament in Hyderabad. This year he has already captained Corinthians CC to the Division Two championship in the Southern California Cricket Association.