Woolley Miners CC are likely to be without their overseas new signing Harpreet Singh for two months as he has been called into a squad for the Indian Premier League, the sport's top Twenty20 domestic competition.
Singh has been selected by Royal Challengers Bangalore alongside some of the biggest names in cricket such as India captain Virat Kohli, West Indies superstar Chris Gayle, South African AB De Villiers, England bowler Tymal Mills and former Yorkshire batsman Travis Head.
The 25-year-old – a former India under 19s player who has played more than 40 First Class games in his home nation and been involved with IPL squads in the past – will miss Barnsley's next five to eight games, depending on how far Bangalore get in the competition.
The Shaw Laners were bowled out for 141 as they lost by seven wickets at home to Cleethorpes on Saturday, in their first game under the new name Barnsley Woolley Miners in the ECB Yorkshire South Premier League.
Captain Jason Booth said of Singh: "We have been speaking to him over the phone and he is already referring to Barnsley as 'my club' which is great.
"This club have had some great players over the years who have gone on to do great things and hopefully he can be one of them. He should still play about 18 games for us and he will completely change the dynamic of our team when he arrives in June.
"He is probably a similar standard to a lot of the players in the Yorkshire first team and he will have the ability to win games on his own. He could have got the 50 or 60 runs that would have won us the game on Saturday."
Booth lost the toss and Cleethorpes put their hosts into bat. Barnsley's most experienced batsman Jon Trower was out for one after five balls of the season. Stevie Walters and debutant David Hunt added 54 for the second wicket but they were both out without any more runs being scored and Barnsley continued to lose regular wickets.
Youngsters Beck Frostick and Lewis Pike each made 20. The visitors reached their target in 43 overs with Ali Jahangir taking all three wickets.
Booth said: "There is one word to sum that game up and it is rusty. That applies to both sides, because it was a typical first game, but we were rustier than them and that's why they won. They also had a bit of luck, but they had the one player who got above 50 and that won the game for them. Our spinners were both outstanding. How Oliver Jackson didn't get a wicket I will never know.
"Overall we are not too despondent. If we are still making the same mistakes after another five games, then we will be worried, but it's too early to panic."
