YORK Cricket Club will be looking to new overseas player Michael Sheedy to help plug the gap left by Steve Piercy in the batting line-up this summer.

Piercy, the Malton and Norton RUFC player, is having a rugby-playing holiday in Australia but opener Sheedy, from the Carlton club in Melbourne, will be making the reverse trip to Clifton Park.

He has a good track record and can be expected to make a substantial contribution with the bat.

Marcus Wood, who led York to the Yorkshire League Cup and double last season, has made a thorough start to planning his campaign and, on balance, is likely to have a stronger hand of players than last year.

Sheedy's fellow Aussie, Riley O'Neill, whose 53 wickets were a key factor in York's success, will be missing but the Clifton Parkers have a more than adequate replacement in Mark Bell from Heworth CC who played with York ten years ago and took 50 wickets in a season and went on to do the same in the Bradford League. With off-spinner Dan Broadbent still available, the tweaking department looks healthy.

The control element of pacemen Rob Flack and Greg How will continue but there is added strength in the wings from James Bryant from Harrogate and Alex Boyle who joined the club from Duncombe Park late last season. Both are distinctly sharp and can only improve.

Equally intriguing is the prospect of regular appearances from Yorkshire speedster Nick Thornicroft from Sheriff Hutton. The county is developing a policy of outsourcing their senior starlets to league clubs to make space for the development of younger prospects.

Thornicroft's colleague Chris Gilbert, the Scarborough-based paceman is to play for York's Yorkshire League rivals Doncaster.

The batting core remains in Simon Mason, Nick Kay and Wood. Flack and Thornicroft will be a powerful mid-order threat but there remains a spot for another batsman to assume a key role around the six spot.

York start the defence of their league title at Appleby Frodingham tomorrow then entertain Saltburn in the Cockspur National KO Cup.

Appleby Frodingham finished bottom last season and York have chosen a strong pace attack, including Thornicroft, hoping to exploit the traditionally damp Brumby Hall pitch.

Bell will come in for the ineligible Sheedy against Saltburn.

York are also in the Black Sheep Yorkshire Champions Cup this summer.

Updated: 11:13 Friday, April 22, 2005