Huge point

Moorlands (back, from left) Liam Smith, Andrew Fortis, David Winn, Cameron French, Aqeel Mulhtar. Front: Reece Drake, Nicky Smith, Michael Rounding, Jared Maxwell, Darrell Sykes, Chris Stott was going to be a difficult season and we would need to strengthen,” said Fortis, disappointed to go out of the All Rounder Sykes Cup by just one wicket to Honley.

“There is a core of Moorlands lads but then we thought we would go for some ‘international investment’ to move things along.

“Cameron French looked a really good player at Kirkheaton last season and, once we signed him, it opened the door to bring in another lad from Queensland in Liam Smith.

“The club felt we still needed more, so we got Aqeel Mukhtar from Batley, who has become UK qualified, and Nicky Smith, another Aussie lad who played at Burton Leonard in the Nidderdale League.

“We got him through someone we know and thought Nicky could do a good job for our bowling department, as he puts it in the right areas and swings it both ways.”

Moorlands have won seven of their 10 top-flight matches before today’s home clash with Golcar.

Overseas signing French, from the Redlands Tigers club in Brisbane, won the Cedar Court Conference batting prize last season with Kirkheaton and has already scored 414 runs at 41.40 this summer.

Mukhtar has 345 at 31.36, Fortis 289 at 26.27, David Winn 244 at 27.11 and 19-year-old Liam Smith, also from Redlands Tigers but UK qualified, 216 at 21.60.

Those are solid batting stats (Jared Maxwell, from Melbourne, is the other UK-qualified Aussie on the books) and sit nicely alongside some determined bowling figures.

Nicky Smith and Darrell Sykes are fifth and sixth in the topflight standings with 27 wickets at 21.37 for Smith and 26 at 18.00 for Sykes.

Left-armer Andrew Walker has picked up 17, spinner Winn 14 and Liam Smith six.

“A lot has fallen into place, but the biggest factor is they are a great set of lads,” explained Fortis.

“We get on like a house on fire and you wouldn’t think we’d