Yorkshire’s boys’ team completed a dominant campaign in the Northern Counties Boys’ League – winning all five of their matches to top the table.
The boys were undefeated in 2025 and clinched the title with a 10.5-4.5 win over Durham at Horsforth, including a 7-3 triumph in the afternoon singles to end the season.
“Winning the Northern Counties league title was a great way to end the year and I’m really proud of what the boys achieved this season,” said Yorkshire boys’ chairman and team manager Phil Woodcock. “We’ve had lads perform well throughout the year, including the experienced boys and the younger lads who have stepped up and come into the side. I was particularly impressed by the win over a strong Durham team at Horsforth – where several of the younger lads picked up points.”
The boys opened the league campaign with a 13.5-1.5 win over Northumberland at Dunstanburgh Castle in May, before a 13-2 win over Cumbria at Maryport in July. They then beat Lancashire 10.5-4.5 at Hull, before travelling to Cheshire and winning 10-5 at Prenton.
“The performances throughout the year have been very impressive,” added Phil. “We’re looking forward to supporting the boys through the winter with our county coaching programme and seeing them hit the ground running next season. We only lose two boys this year as they turn 18, which puts us in a good place, and we have a strong pipeline of players who we’ve identified for coaching and I’ve no doubt they will be pushing hard for team selection.
“We’re in a good place as a county team – while Tom [Hartshorne] and Alex [Boyes] continue to excel with the national team, which is fantastic to see – but we can never rest on our laurels.
“There’s work to do before we get the 2026 campaign underway, but the boys all know they need to work hard and work smart. We’re looking forward to trying to defend the league title and putting in a strong performance at Northern Counties Boys’ Qualifying at Brancepeth Castle next summer.”
In the final league table, Durham finished second with eight match points, as Cheshire – who won the Boys’ Qualifying event at Ponteland this season – finished in third place.
