Professional cricketer Alex Lees has praised Hoylandswaine CC for helping him rediscover his batting form while out of the Yorkshire team and is planning to stay on the league club’s books after his move to Durham.
The 25-year-old from Halifax has scored more than 5,000 First Class runs for the Headingley club and previously captained them in the Twenty20 Blast, but lost his place in the last year.
He signed for Hoylandswaine in order to play regular cricket and has been the Premiership’s top-scorer this season with 1,119 runs at an average of 86, helping them retain the title while they also won the Twenty20 Knock-out Trophy.
Lees told the Chronicle: “I have definitely enjoyed my time at the club. There are lots of good people there and it’s a really nice place to play cricket. We have won two trophies and we could have won a few more cups but it’s still been a great season.
“It’s been refreshing to get back to playing regularly and scoring runs. I had gone from playing nearly every game for Yorkshire for four or five years to playing next to nothing which was a real issue. It’s obviously a different standard to professional cricket but the Huddersfield League is a very good club level and now I want to take this form into my time at Durham. I have got my rhythm back after playing for Hoylandswaine on a good wicket, and I am striking the ball as well ever.”
Lees is on loan to Durham, where he has signed a three-year deal from next season, but says he wants to be involved with Swaine too. He said: “I would like to still be signed on. My opportunities will be more limited because hopefully I will be playing regularly for Durham. But I would like to come back and play a few games and tie that into seeing my friends and family in Yorkshire. Hoylandswaine is a club I would like to stay involved with for the foreseeable future.”
Swaine have lost just one of their 26 league matches this season, winning 23 while two were called off. They finished 35 points clear at the top as they retained their league title with ease. Their last match was at Shelley who were bowled out for 109 with Christian Jackson taking four for 23. Gurman Randhawa, who came through the Headingley academy and played two First Class games, finished with 91 wickets in all competitions this season.
The visitors then reached 110 for no wicket in just 7.3 overs as Lees hit 54 not out off 27 balls with three sixes and six fours while Gharib Nawaz smashed 48 not out off 22 balls with three sixes and seven fours.
