"The Captains Table" from TPLCC with Dean Williamson of Sprotbrough in the Yorkshire South PL

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So, welcome everyone, once again to the captain's table at the Premier League cricket club and

as you know, we're trying to do quite a lot of these pre-season previews this year and we're trying

to do them with clubs who've been promoted to the Premier League. So today joining us,

I've got Dean Williamson from Sprottbrook Cricket Club, who, after three mid-table finishes,

last year won the championship division and are now competing in 2026 in the Yorkshire South

Premier League, having been promoted alongside Western Paris Church.

Dean, welcome to the captain's table, mate. How's it feels to know that you're a Premier League

captain now? Thank you. Thank you Ian. Yeah, it's great, mate. Honestly, we, um,

2025, we're pretty special for us. We won the T20 as well, the T20 plate,

and then obviously wrapped the league up on the last day at Acquith. So, yeah, it's a pretty,

pretty special year and we're really, really looking forward to 2026, hopefully some warm weather,

plenty of cold beers and you know, let's hope we can move on or to as well, but you know,

we'll see how we go on that one. Absolutely. After the three previous years, where you came

5th, 6th, 6th, 5th, you're all around that same point. Is the elements of a little bit frustration

though? It's like, come on guys, how do we get over the line? Yeah, so for us, I think coming 5th

and 6th was always like, even then we were punching above our weight a little bit compared to

some of the clubs in the division and some of the money that's spent around. But we felt like

we had a really good young team that I'm 35 and the next and then there's another lad who's 32

and everyone else in teams in like the 18 to 25 bracket. So, they're all getting better every year.

I know we felt like we had a good chance, we felt like the teams that came down out of the premier,

weren't going to be world beaters and we felt like if we could get it right, we had a real good

chance last year. So, we had a bit of a team meeting and I said to Lads, I said, look, everything

we've built for the last three years has been brilliant. I said, but we want to go one step further now

instead of being available 17 or 18 games a year. How's about being available for 20 games a year?

It'll make a massive, massive difference to us. And that was sort of the, that really was the

difference. Everybody, so I had really settled 11 and everybody was available for a minimum of 20

games out of 22, all my 11 and had about seven lads who played or were available all 22

which was a massive difference for us. And yeah, he goes over the line in the end really because

we had games the year before where we had like, I had to make six changes in a week, a week before

because half the team were available and I just said, look, if you want to go up, you're good enough,

but there's just got to be that extra 5% of availability and it will make the difference and it did.

Absolutely. I mean, I don't think I've heard anyone say that many numbers in terms of availability

ever. I know him, in my locally, the average availability is somewhere around about 14 games

per season out of 22. My club last year, it was down to 11. It's got lower and lower of the year,

to get to 18 is good, to get to 20. That says about, it just proves one thing, doesn't it?

Consistency. Yeah, yeah, everyone knew the role. Everybody knows the role. Turn up, everyone sort of

knows where the batting before we even get there, but maybe one or two little changes. We walk out

to field. I don't even have to set a field for at first, but everybody knows where they're going.

You know, I just go wonder off to first sleep. Yeah, they all know where they're going.

And it's just sort of that, yeah, just that like familiarity and it just breeds, it just bred,

well, it bred success for us. So yeah, definitely. I think that over the years, there's not a single

sport that wouldn't say that works. It just always works. You get that consistency. It's picked

the same group. How many players did you use in the end? Then what was it 14, 15?

I'd probably have to check play cricket, but I think it's about 15, yeah. And I think one of those

or two of those were just one appearance in a cup game and that in a sort of cup game and that

were it, but in the league, I think it was probably about 14. That was it, yeah. That's incredible.

I think we have seen a couple of other clubs do that over the last couple of years. And again,

it just proves the less the least players you can use, the better it is. But going forward

into 2026, obviously, you've taken the boys up now, new league, new ground, definitely new challenges.

I'm guessing what are two chats around the group in terms of how does it feel to promote it now

that just has settled you're only four or five weeks away from the start of the season?

How are you feeling in terms of, is it relief that you've got there after those mid-table finishes?

Pride excitement and are you already lying awake? Thinking about it.

Yeah, so definitely pride and definitely excitement. It's going to be a huge, huge challenge

for us, you know, some of the big boys that are in the Premier League, your Wakefield

thorns and your Cliforps and your Sheffield collegents, you know, big, big, big clubs for us to go

and play their first teams. It's brilliant and we're excited, really excited for that. We've got,

you know, my squad, those 14, 15 players we spoke about, we've got one Premier League appearance

between us in the whole group. We've got one Premier League, one guy has played one appearance

in Premier League cricket and that's it. So we're all new to it, but they're all young and they're

all fast learners, faster learners than me. And I think they'll release the challenge, mate.

They're well up for it. They think, you know, especially at home, we can put it on a few teams.

And, you know, we're well aware that we're going to be the underdogs every game pretty much.

We're going to, we're going to play on that. Nobody's going to want to be the first team to lose

to Sproutborough. So we're going to, we're going to play on that definitely. And yeah, we're just

excited. We're just excited, you know, with the right and it's sort of pressure off, pressure off

cricket now and we can just, we can just play and hopefully play our best stuff. Yeah, exactly.

You heard the right last year and let's go quickly back to last season. What was the difference

you believe last year, not sort of the headline stuff as scored more runs, top more wicked stuff

like that? What was the, the, the attitude or the habit? So was it just that consistency of the

availability that got you over the line in the end? So definitely the availability was a real

key, like having those extra guys play those two extra games all the time was fab for us.

And I think just because they'll add to so young, just that little bit of extra consistency

that the finding year on year and I'm hoping again this year and next year and the year after

and the year after and the year after they're at an age where they're still going to get a little

bit better and a little bit more consistent, the train hard, the train well really well. And

because of the young and athletic, you know, we were the standout field inside last year

in the championship. We were better than everybody else in the field. And that's worth so many

run, you know, so many runs that that makes a difference. It's like, you know, it's unquantifiable

really, you know, 10, 20, 30, 40 runs difference it can make. And I think this year for us,

you know, we'll go into Premier and I think people will be surprised again by how

decent we are in the, we are in the field. So yeah, that's where we're, that's all where we made

some strides forward. And that's how we can make some more this year. So yeah, I find that fascinating

because one of the things we talk about all the time in terms of you could always have

depths in your squad full stop and you could have better batters and better bowlers. But the one

thing we see the higher up the Estonian London Premier League cricket goes to and to national club

championships, it's the fielding. Yeah, I say last year I saw Newfoundland beat once

that in Stersbrook in the T20 national final at Wormsley with the single best fielding performance

I've seen from aside from Newfoundland. And every, every one of the players, like you say,

absolutely on it, whether it was catching the ball, stopping the ball, it was just everything

was there all the time. I think that depth in fielding is in critical when it gets to Premier League,

isn't it? Yeah, it is. Yeah, because you know, the guys that we're playing against this year,

they're going to hit the ball hard or they're going to hit it crisper than what even the championship

lads do. And those having my lads that, you know, I've got, you know, take me out of it. I've got

10 lads that are capable of making diving stops left and right, you know, pretty much catch

pretty much most, most things. I get the key, you know, I get the best fielders in the key positions.

And yeah, it makes such a difference if I've got two lads in the squad that are similar form

or similar with the bat, you know, they're going to pose similar numbers. I just take the

guy who's the better fielder because he 100% savers 20 field on his own. So yeah, most definitely

agreed. So looking ahead to the, you know, the Premier League going forward this year. What

other sort of conversation you've been having with the boys? Has it been about the standards? Has

it been about, you know, the fact that there might be a few of the lads who've chipped it every

now and again, but need to chip in a bit more? And is it about getting those extra one, two,

three percent compared to where you were last year? Yeah, the one percent is the ones that we

took. We have a, we haven't had a team meeting yet properly, but the one percent is the ones

we'll talk about. So I've got five lads that are at uni. So, okay, they're sort of coming back

for nets. Obviously, they're here and there, you know, it's the lead, Newcastle, notting them.

They were zoolink and places. But we always talk about, when we have a preseason meeting, we talk

about the one percenters. But I want to talk to them about, um, attitude this year and body

language, because, you know, we're not going to go on six and seven game within runs this year,

you know, we're more likely to be on six game losing runs. So I want them, you know, I want to

make sure that the body language is right and that they've still puffed the chests out and they

still stand with their heads up, you know, even at 40 over 10, if the other team was 180 for one,

you know, I want them to still show that actually we're here and we're going to enjoy it,

regardless of take a few tankings or not. We're going to, we've earned the right and we're all

learning on the job here and we're going to enjoy it and just make the most of it. So those are

the sorts of things that I'll be talking about. And we talk a little bit about one percenters here

and there. One of the things I'm big on is always making sure that we run out, someone's run out

off the last ball. If you're batting first, you know, we're not batting for averages on last ball,

taking and, you know, jogging to the bottom, just turning suicide run out, you know, you won't get

a blast off me and changing room after, but, you know, it's about, you know, that one run, if,

you know, they make a field in everything, you get back for two or something, that one. Absolutely.

I'll win you the game. Could be the difference. Love that. I actually love that.

Team first and like our overseas last year, 100 and 100 and something not out first game at season,

took an easy one last ball, jogged down over it and that were it while, and we, you know,

we've got a massive score of two, two, 85 or something, you know, we were always going to win.

Going to change room and I said to him, you don't ever do that again in my team, you come back for two

and you're on yourself out and, you know, come up to me a few, a few weeks later and said, yeah,

that's really stuck with me and I appreciate that where everybody's playing for team and how

important it is that the team comes first. So, yeah, those, those ones and it's the difference

they really do. So, yeah, I love that one, definitely. When you get into that privilege, obviously,

what you're going to come up against is let's be blunt about this. You're going to come against

better batters, better players generally, better bowlers. Yeah, if you do get punished, it's going to

come hard fast at, you know, straight away, you know, the days of, you know, being 90 on for one,

all of a sudden you could be, you know, 15 for seven. It's going to happen. It's going to be,

these things happen. It happens to Sheffield Collegiate last year, remember, as well. So, it's not,

doesn't happen to just the guys coming up. It can happen to the big boys. What are the biggest steps

you're expected to see? Oh, I think, but just more depth, I think more depth, I think there'll be

a better, better spin bowlers. I think if you get through the opening spell of a couple of

seamers, the next bowlers that come on in championship, sometimes you wait, you wait in four or a

minute, it's like, we can absorb 15 ohms of pressure in championship. And you know that,

we're putting the wrongs when the change bowlers come on. I expect the Premier League to be

more like 50 overs of the top, the top championship quality or, or, and I think, you know, you get

three or four wickets in championship, you can be into like, you know, you can see the standard

start to drop of the battles that are walking out. Premier League isn't going to miss it, you know,

they're going to back to eight and nine and ten, maybe even, you know, but just going to be more

depth. You have that bad half an hour in championship and, you know, if you're one of the better sides,

you can get away with it a little bit sometimes and you can explore it back. I think if we have a bad

half hour, put a couple of catches down, let it be, you know, well, you know, it's a couple of bad

overs or, you know, lose three or four wickets in a cluster. Game will probably be done for us this time

round. So yeah, just being, just being a big learning curve and then just being on, you know,

being on the money right from, right from ball one, we've got, you know, we couldn't have asked

for a tough start. So absolutely. So where do you think though that you guys might surprise one or

two people? So I think, well, because we've never played, sport, we've never played Premier League

and our whole squad's only got one Premier League appearance between us. So I think, I think, you

know, we will, we will surprise, we will surprise some people. We've got, you know, we've got two

really top class opening bowlers. So we are giving too much away. I think they'll surprise,

I think, especially at home, where we know the conditions and maybe the other teams

won't know them as well, you know, a lot of players will be coming to us for the first time.

So definitely, I think, find that we'll have a little bit of an advantage at home, especially

our opening bowlers. And we're back deeper than you think. So, you know, I used about three before

I became captain and I about nine now. So we're back right down to sort of nine or 10.

So it's not a case so like, we'll get three and we'll be, we'll roll them because the lads at six

and seven and eight of, you know, well capable, well capable of building scores. Yeah.

So I think we'll, we'll, yeah, I think we'll catch a few teams, a few teams out with that,

not necessarily that we'll be in, but I think we'll run teams closer than maybe they might be

sat there thinking they might, you know, they'll be rubbing the hands. I think some teams think,

you know, you know, we'll, you know, we'll get, get some net run rate on board or whatever,

but we'll always work like that. Absolutely. They don't know what's coming to

full stop. Yeah. That's the big difference. Yeah. Let's talk about leadership. Obviously,

we talked of a captain aside is it's a job, you know, captain a promoted side into the Premier League.

I, you know, I still have almost its own job description. How are you sort of around the group

balancing ambition with realism, you know, and you're thinking about when you're going to portion

reminding that as a promoted side, let's be honest, survival, you know, staying that Premier League

consolidated your places is number one objective, isn't it most of the time?

Yeah, I think one of my biggest strengths is that I'm realistic and I understand

where we are in the pecking order. And, you know, ultimately we're playing for 10th,

we're playing for 10th place this year. That's, you know, I think, you know, we're not in the

finish. I isn't that realistically. So if you look to the 2025 staff for your Premier League,

there was a massive gap between the top eight and the bottom four. It was a huge gap.

And then Wickersley, we're in the bottom four of then signed, Mishra from Cleforth.

Peaceful.

It was a good opportunity to kiss in two years. Yeah.

So you would expect that Wickersley might not be in the bottom four this year. So that sort of

leaves you in the bottom three, which is Halem. And then the two teams that have come up,

which is on schools in Western Irish. And I would suspect that those three will be the bottom

three again and one of us all finish 10th and the other two will go down. So we're quite

realistic in that. We know when those big games are going to come.

I think there are a couple of other teams above us that are probably slightly weaker than say

the top four or five. I think, you know, I've asked in round a few of the labs, I think Apple

will be flooding them and lost a couple. So they might be one of the sides that might be like

it's 7th or 8th and Donny Town as well. They've got a slightly different year. So we're expecting

them to maybe slip into the bottom half of the table. But those are the sorts of big games that

you want to target and try and pick up your, you know, who knows, might need five wins, six wins to

stay up. And that's where we'll be definitely be targeting them and then try and pick up some

bonus points from everybody else really. Yeah.

Barnsley-Bulliamine has went down with four wins last year. Shygary went down with seven

and Hallam above them stayed up and Wickersley-O'Village stayed up with six.

Be right. The next one up then was 10. So there was a little bit of a gap wasn't there.

So it's all to play for. I think you're right. My ink moving from Kleathorps to Wickersley.

I'm going to say up there with one of the shocks of the winter for me.

I'm talking nationally, never mind just locally because didn't see that happening in the slightest.

So we can only improve them. But at the same time, you get yourself on a little run of two,

three, four games and all of a sudden you go, happy days, is it boys?

Yeah, yeah. I think, like I say, it's just putting it together for us.

We'll be looking at everybody first couple of games, seeing who's fielding what teams,

and who's doing what and where they are, and we'll be on YouTube getting clips from whoever's

streaming, which is a godsend for me these days. That's, you know, usually put a package

together of our opposition before every game for the last. So it's a godsend, the old MV play

or whatever. So, especially when we've not seen many of the bulls this year,

for the likes to have a quick look at them before we're walking out at 12 o'clock on a start of day.

So yeah, and we'll just be targeting, you know, your wisdoms, your albums,

those sorts of guys, and we'll just enjoy everyone else. And like you say, Wickersley and

Haven proved it last year by having less to win than Shia Green, but if you can pick up your bonus

points, pick up your tools, your fours, your sixes, your games being in the games, right till the end.

You know, they proved that that made the difference for them last year and kept

so that's sort of one of the cool. They could be those run outs on those last balls that make

the difference. Yeah, you never know, you never know. Absolutely. So come on then, for people who don't

know Spropbra, every promoted team does have some danger, man. And let's be honest,

the big boys will be looking at you going, just find out about these boys before you come along

anyway. Tell us about some players at your place. Give me a bathroom of Bola, who our listeners

and our followers should be looking out and going, let's keep an eye on how they get on this year.

So we've just signed a lot called Zacchaean Jam, who's brother Bill Al used to play for

Dali Town, place for secure in the league. So it's Bill Al's younger brother Zacchaean

and looks really good, really good. So we're excited for what he can do. He's got a

premier league officer and we're excited for that. With the ball, I've got my opening bowl,

damn right. He just got back from a nice winter in Australia. He's done maybe 50 wickets for

the last three years, for us since I gave him the new ball, medium pace, keep us stood up.

We bring field, Bill's pressure, you've got to take risks to support against him and he'll get

into the ball either way. So he's our danger, man. We'll be keeping an eye on them, definitely,

and 50 wickets for SEMA at any level in this country. It's just bloody brilliant, isn't it?

Yeah, especially last year as well. It was obviously pretty dry and it's been friendly

conditions really. So yeah, for our two opening bowlers to get about 120 wickets between and last

year was a SEMA effort. Absolutely, a bit stand out that. So come on then, coming towards the end

of our chat, we've sort of talked about it already, but let's sort of not hedge, not cliche,

which I guarantee you won't do anyway. What does success look for you guys at the end of the year?

Is it a, just consolidating that Premier League place, be good running the cups,

or do you just have that inkling of a little bit more as well?

No, I think realistically success looks like 10th place for us and being able to play

cricket in 2027. That's what success looks like. I'm down to or will enjoy it, whether we finish 10th,

11th, 12th or 4th, we'll enjoy it, but 10th place success, no doubt about it.

Absolutely, so come on then, the final question. Again, no CSOs ask. We want to know,

who's your money on to be champions of the Yorkshire South Premier League this year?

It's a good question. I'm going to say, I'm going to say, Chef your collegiate this year.

I have an inkling myself possibly towards them, because I think there's a couple of results in

particular last year that just went completely against them, and they had a couple of really bad

weekends as best friends describe it, but otherwise consistency wasn't it?

I think we're clear for us as to the last mischievous, and I think Wakey Thorns have lost their

key per batter who's pretty stand out, so they've just lost some key men, so I think that stands

probably collegiate and tickle in good stead. I think tickle will be close by as well. They've

had a pretty good winter tickle, so they'll be close by and collegiate and tickle our first two

games, funnily enough, so baptism of fire for us. You'll get a good feel for how the league's

going to go there. You couldn't get us for a better first game on the 18th of April, could you

say, be over at Chef your collegiate? No, no, exactly. Place we know well, because we've played

that second team in the championship for the last eight years, so we know their ground quite well,

and we know what it's going to bring, but yeah, lovely place to play.

And it's just, as you say, because you know it, it's a bit a little bit more comfortable

than going to somewhere you don't know. Yeah, exactly. Yeah.

Thanks for joining us, Dean. Absolutely. Pleasure to hear all about Sprott, but it's going to be

interested to see how you guys go on. It's more interesting when it's a club who's not been in the

Premier League before, and that one statistic that's going to stand out for me now is not the availability.

It's the fact that you guys go in there with just one Premier League game of experience between

you all. That's got to be a new record, I think. Yeah, it could be. It could be. Yeah, pretty

phenomenal effort. So, you know, we'll have about 240 appearances between us by end of season.

So yeah, adds up pretty quickly then. Hey, thanks for joining us at Captain Table, mate.

Thank you.

Time to do T10 teammates with our friends at Sprott Bruh in the Yorkshire Premier League.

Joining us, Dean Williamson, let's start with who's most likely to be late?

Oh, George Thompson, 100%. Who's most likely to go on a reality show?

Oh, damn right. Who's most likely to throw a bat?

I would say Lewis Hogg. Who's most likely to ignore a watcher?

Alan Marsh. Who would you never want to share a car with?

Alan Marsh. Who spends the longest on the hair?

Oh, there's some bad dudes. Longest on the hair. It's got to be done right again.

He's got to be. Who would you never want to organise the team night out?

Some pepper, boring man. Who's most likely to wind you up or start an argument?

Alan Marsh. Who's most likely to Google themselves?

Batikasa. I overseas. 100%.

Okay, and finally, who's the most famous person in your phone book that you would invite to play at Sprott Bruh?

Most of it. I've got nobody favourite in my phone book, so I'll just go with one of the top players.

Charlie K, top lab, top cricket player. Brilliant.

That team made it, Sprott Bruh. Thanks, Dean.

Thanks for joining us at the Premier League cricket club.

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