This weekend sees the start of the 2025 North Wales Cricket League season.
The battle for supremacy in the Premier Division promises to be an enthralling one.
Can Mochdre repeat last season’s inaugural title success? Can the 2024 runners-up St Asaph go one better this time?
How will newcomers Bethesda and Conwy fare in the top flight?
And how about Bangor, who have been installed as joint favourites to be crowned champions this week?
Welsh bookmakers DRAGONBET are running betting markets on all five divisions within the North Wales League.
Premier Division – Good money for Bangor backed in to 2/1 Jt Fav
Division 1 – Keen support for Mold backed in to 13/8 Fav
Division 2 – bits of money for Llay Welfare in to 11/1
Division 3 – interest in Denbigh II and Gwersyllt Park II in to 5/1 and 11/2
Premier Division
Bangor 2/1
Mochdre 2/1
St Asaph 3/1
Brymbo 4/1
Northop 9/2
Menai Bridge 8/1
Bethesda 16/1
Conwy 18/1
Denbigh 22/1
Gwersyllt Park 22/1
Division One
Mold 13/8
Northop II 3/1
Gresford 9/2
Llandudno 5/1
Hawarden Park 7/1
Connah’s Quay 9/1
Mochdre II 9/1
Brymbo II 12/1
Dolgellau 14/1
Bangor II 16/1
Halkyn 18/1
Pontblyddyn 22/1
Division Two
Marchwiel & Wrexham 5/2
Abergele 4/1
Pwllheli 4/1
St Asaph II 11/2
Buckley 8/1
Ruthin 8/1
Carmel & District 10/1
Llanrwst 10/1
Llay Welfare 11/1
Corwen 12/1
Menai Bridge II 18/1
Pontblyddyn II 20/1
Bangor have made one of the signings of the summer with the capture of prolific wicket-keeper/batsman Nathaniel Scott from St Asaph.
In seven seasons with Saints, Scott amassed close on 5,000 league runs for the club, including 653 in 2024.
All-rounder Jamie Grimshaw from Llandudno is a good addition, as is Jamie Moorhouse, a left arm quick who switches over from Colwyn Bay. He’s a player with a fantastic attitude and 6ft plus of pace
Wales all-rounder Owen Reilly has moved away to challenge himself in the Cheshire League with Marple, while club legend with bat and ball, David Winter, has decided to retire
Bangor skipper Rob Marshall says: “On the whole I am very excited about my squad and really hope to push for the title this season.”
It’s a big welcome to the Premier for Bethesda, promoted from Division One as runners-up last season.
Their beautiful and picturesque Parc Villa ground alone makes them an asset to the top flight.
Pesda’s 2025 squad remains largely the same as last year’s.
All-rounder Tomos Davies is their only signing from another club, the youngster having shown plenty of promise with Bangor in the past.
Daniel Oshyer, from Canberra, returns as the Ogwen club’s overseas player.
“We have some returning local players and a couple of players who have moved to the area,” said a club spokesman. “The squad that competed last year will be pretty similar to this year and everyone is looking forward to the season and the challenge of competing at a higher level.”
Departures include Jason Parry, who has joined Tattenhall (Cheshire) due to moving house,and Dylan Hughes, who has signed for Pwllheli.
Certainly one to watch will be skipper Carwyn L Williams, who was the league’s second highest scorer in 2024 with 805 runs.
Brymbo are always strong competitors and this season should see no exception.
Mighty South Africans Jason Underwood and Christopher Taylor will surely once again produce their usual stacks of runs and plenty of useful wickets.
Connor Davies had a cracking 2024 with the bat and should shine again.
First team captain Dan Parry reports: “No departures to report, all of last year’s squad have signed on for this year. Availability of the group has improved.”
With last year’s Division One champions Northop 2nds not eligible for promotion, third place Conwy get a chance to show what they can do in the top flight.
All-rounder Oliver Da Costa from Durban, South Africa, could be a talent worth watching at Bodlondeb.
Conwy have lost first team opening bowler Vaughan Williams to work commitments in Cardiff.
Batsman Evan Williams could make a considerable impact after three great seasons, including a superb 685 runs in 2024.
The Davies quartet of Shaun, Philip Michael, Dan and Jonathon James can be relied upon to produce their usual batting consistency.
Denbigh’s overseas player this year is Marko van Voorst, a young talented all-rounder from South Africa looking to impress on his first season playing in Wales at Ystrad Road.
All-rounder Sam Lewis is expected to perform well again this season, while Wales spinner and top-order bat Harrison Jones is always one of the most consistent players in the league with bat and ball.
Promising young batters Umer Farrukh and Ranija Abeysinghe are tipped to flouish this term.
With new facilities, exciting signings and the benefit of a tough debut season in the Premier behind them, Gwersyllt Park can look forward to the 2025 campaign with considerable optimism.
The club announced last November that South African all-rounder James Du Toit, the North Wales League’s top run-scorer for the past two seasons, would be joining them, however this signing is no longer going ahead.
The experienced Jamie Griffiths has switched to Gwersyllt from Chester Boughton Hall, while bowler Jack Billington moves over from Llay.
Griffiths’ other former clubs include Halkyn, Christleton, St George’s Shropshire, Northop Hall and Brymbo.
Talented spinner Venumadhav Peram, who had an impressive 2024, has left the Wrexham area club and joined Northop.
Prolific wicket-taking spin bowler Ashley Wood is the new captain of Menai Bridge this season.
Last season’s skipper, opening bat Jack Gower, will be vice-captain in 2025.
Left-arm turner Wood has taken more than 600 wickets for the club dating back to 2005.
Bridge’s overseas player this season is 20-year-old Tyrone Virgo from Perth, Western Australia.
An exciting top order batsman, he also plays Aussie Rules Football.
Pace bowler Patrick Glover is returning to Tyn-y-Caeau Drive following spells with the Anglesey club in 2018 and 2021.
Glover’s first North Wales club was Mochdre in 2017 and he has spent the last three seaspns at Colwyn Bay. He is a very consistent bowler with more than 150 wickets claimed over six seasons in North Wales.
Bridge will again be able to call on experienced, tried and tested campaigners like Gethin Roberts, Gerallt Roberts, Robbie Jones and Wales all-rounder Dion Holden in 2025.
Mochdre will be aiming to make it back-to-back titles after last season’s fully deserved championship success.
As well as retaining all of last season’s squad, the title-holders have made three great signings in Will Evans, Gareth Goodson and Andrew Swarbrick.
Evans must rate as one of North Wales’ finest-ever batsman. The swashbuckling, quick-scoring left hander has more than 16,000 career runs on his CV from league and cup matches including 98 half-centuries and 28 tons.
He returnns to Mochdre after three years with Colwyn Bay, where he amassed 2,453 runs and won the Liverpool Competition Division One title last season.
Evans has also represented Wales and Cheshire CCC, plus Neston. He has spent a total of 10 seasons with Mochdre, piling up almost 6.500 runs.
Prolific wicket-taker Goodson is back at Swan Road after a spell with St Asaph, while all-rounder Swarbrick has set all kinds of club records at Chirk CC over the years.
Northop will welcome Shoaib Akhtar as their overseas player for the 2025 season.
Hailing from India, Shoaib was formerly with Daisy Hill CC (Bolton). He bowls left arm off-spin and is a middle order bat. The new man will bring experience, energy and plenty of flair to the team
Venumadhav Peram joins Northop from Gwersyllt, where he made an impressive debut in the North Wales Premier League last year.
A talented spin bowler, he produced an outstanding 3.58 economy rate in the 2024 season.
Departures from Flint Road include Ben Beaver, who has switched to Neston CC, while Charlie Collins is now at Colwyn Bay CC.
Premier champions in 2021 and 2023, St Asaph will be looking to win the title in three odd number years in succession.
Packed with regional and international experience, the club will be disappointed to lose the services of prolific run scorer Nathanael Scott to Bangor, but still have quality batsmen in abundance such as William Ryan, Duncan Midgley, Mathew Ryan and William Norman.
New signings include Eren Ranu, who has come from Springvale in Birmingham and Kyle Williams from South Africa.is the club’s overseas player this season.
Ranu has amassed almost 5,500 runs plus more than 300 wickets over 15 seasons with Springvale.
Bangor v Menai Bridge
Bethesda v St Asaph
Conwy v Denbigh
Mochdre v Brymbo
Northop v Gwersyllt Park
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