Kent Cricket League

Kent Cricket League

Administrator	Kent Cricket Board
Format	Limited Overs
First edition	1970
Next edition	2024
Tournament format	League
Number of teams	10 (Premier Division)
Current champion	Tunbridge Wells CC [1]
Most successful	Bromley CC (9)
Website	https://kcl.play-cricket.com

The Kent Cricket League is the top level of competition for recreational club cricket in Kent, England. ^[2]

The league was founded in 1970 and the first season of play was 1971. The twelve founding clubs were Ashford, Aylesford Paper Mills, Dartford, Dover, Folkestone, Gore Court, Gravesend, Holmesdale, The Mote, St Lawrence and Highland Court, Sevenoaks Vine, and Tunbridge Wells.

Beckenham, Blackheath, and Bromley joined the league before the 1973 season. Aylesford Paper Mills left after the 1976 season but were replaced by Forest Hill, and then Bexley joined for the 1978 season. Forest Hill closed down in 1980, but Hayes (Kent) and Midland Bank (now New Beckenham) joined in 1982 to bring the number of clubs in the league up to seventeen.

A major change took place before the 1996 season, when the league absorbed the East Kent Cricket League and the South Thames Cricket League. A new structure with three divisions was introduced, and for the first time there was promotion and relegation. ^[3]

From 1999 the Kent League was a designated ECB Premier League. ^[4] From 1999 to 2002, the league experimented with matches played over two days on consecutive Saturdays and was the only ECB Premier League to do this, but it reverted to one day cricket in time for the 2003 season. ^[5]

Until the 2019 season the Kent League had six divisions each containing ten clubs, and below these six divisions lay the Kent Regional Cricket League. ^[6] The two leagues amalgamated in time for the 2023 season, when there was a total of thirty divisions. ^[7]

The 2020 competition was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Kent Cricket League was the only ECB Premier League in England which chose not to organise any kind of replacement competition for the later part of the season when cricket again became possible. Normal service was resumed when a full season of competitive matches was held in 2021.

The teams competing in the Premier Division in 2024 are expected to be Bexley, Bickley Park, Blackheath, Canterbury, Hayes, Lordswood, Minster, St Lawrence and Highland Court, Sandwich Town, and Tunbridge Wells.

Champions

• League Champions
  1971–1990

  Year	Club
  1971	Ashford
  1972	Sevenoaks Vine
  1973	St Lawrence and Highland Court
  1974	The Mote
  1975	The Mote
  1976	Tunbridge Wells
  1977	The Mote
  1978	Sevenoaks Vine
  1979	Holmesdale
  1980	The Mote
  1981	Dover
  1982	Blackheath
  1983	Beckenham
  1984	Blackheath
  1985	Ashford
  1986	Dover
  1987	Tunbridge Wells
  1988	Tunbridge Wells
  1989	Folkestone
  1990	Gravesend

• League Champions
  1991–2010

  Year	Club
  1991	Bromley
  1992	Bromley
  1993	Bromley
  1994	St Lawrence and Highland Court
  1995	The Mote
  1996	Bexley
  1997	Sevenoaks Vine
  1998	St Lawrence and Highland Court
  1999	The Mote
  2000	St Lawrence and Highland Court
  2001	Folkestone
  2002	Bromley
  2003	St Lawrence and Highland Court
  2004	Bromley
  2005	Bromley
  2006	Bromley
  2007	St Lawrence and Highland Court
  2008	Hartley Country Club
  2009	Bromley
  2010	Bromley

• League Champions
  2011–2023

  Year	Club
  2011	Hartley Country Club
  2012	Hartley Country Club
  2013	Hartley Country Club
  2014	Sevenoaks Vine
  2015	Hartley Country Club
  2016	Hartley Country Club
  2017	Beckenham
  2018	Blackheath
  2019	Beckenham
  2020	no competition
  2021	Bexley
  2022	Hayes
  2023	Lordswood

Premier 1st XI Performance by season from 1999

Key
Gold	Champions
Blue	Left League
Red	Relegated

Performance by season, from 1999

Club	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2021	2022	2023	2024
Ashford	5	8	10
Beckenham [a]		5								4	10			5	6	6	3	5	1	8	1	8	10
Beckenham and Sydenham [a]			9			4	6	3	3
Bexley	8	3	7	5	7	5	3	9			5	5	4	7	7	5	5	4	2	7	2	1	3	2
Bickley Park	6	9					2	7	9		4	6	8	8	5	10				6	6	5	9
Blackheath								5	4	5	9		6	2	3	4	4	2	5	1	8	6	4	6
Broadstairs					8	10			10
Bromley	2	2	5	1	4	1	1	1	2	2	1	1	2	4	4	7	8	9				10
Bromley Common																				10
Canterbury														9		9					9
Dartford			6	9														10
Folkestone	7	4	1	7	6	7	8	10									10
Gore Court						6	5	4	8	6	8	10
Hartley Country Club										1	2	2	1	1	1	3	1	1	9
Hayes																							1	5
Holmesdale																			10			9		10
HSBC																					10
Lordswood				6	5	9			6	9		9	3	6	2	2	6	7	4	2	7	7	7	1
Minster																							2	7
The Mote	1	7	2	4	10							4	9
Orpington		10		10
St Lawrence and Highland Court [b]	3	1	3	2	1	2	7	2	1	3	7	3												4
Sandwich Town							9			10						8	9		3	5	5	2	8	8
Sevenoaks Vine	4	6	4	3	2	8	4	6	7	7	6	7	5	3	8	1	2	6	8	4	4	4	6	9
Sibton Park													10		9
Tenterden																		3	6	9
Tunbridge Wells	9		8	8	9			8	5	8	3	8	7	10			7	8	7	3	3	3	5	3
Whitstable	10				3	3	10								10
References	[8]	[9]	[10]	[11]	[12]	[13]	[14]	[15]	[16]	[17]	[18]	[19]	[20]	[21]	[22]	[23]	[24]	[25]	[26]	[27]	[28]	[29]	[30]	[31]

1. Beckenham entered into a merger after the 2000 season and became Beckenham and Sydenham, but this merger was dissolved before the 2008 season and Beckenham took the place in the Premier Division.
2. St Lawrence and Highland Court were relegated after the 2010 season because they did not have the required Clubmark accreditation.

References

1. https://www.kentcricket.co.uk/news/kent-league-round-up-tunbridge-wells-cricket-club-are-kent-cricket-league-champions/
2. "Cricket Leagues in Kent". kentcricket.co.uk. Kent Cricket. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
3. "Kent Cricket League 2012 Handbook". yumpu.com. Shepherd Neame Kent Cricket League. p. 220. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
4. List of ECB Premier Leagues Archived 2008-10-15 at the Wayback Machine
5. "Kent Cricket League". kcl.play-cricket.com. Kent Cricket League. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
6. "Kent Regional Cricket League". krcl.play-cricket.com. Kent Regional Cricket League. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
7. "Kent Cricket League". kcl.play-cricket.com. Kent Cricket League. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
8. Kent Cricket League 1999 Handbook
9. Kent Cricket League 2000 Handbook
10. Kent Cricket League 2001 Handbook
11. "Premier 1st XI - 2002: Table".
12. "Premier 1st XI - 2003: Table".
13. "Premier 1st XI - 2004: Table".
14. "Premier 1st XI - 2005: Table".
15. "Premier 1st XI - 2006: Table".
16. "Premier 1st XI - 2007: Table".
17. "Premier 1st XI - 2008: Table".
18. "Premier 1st XI - 2009: Table".
19. "Premier 1st XI - 2010: Table".
20. "Premier 1st XI - 2011: Table".
21. "Premier 1st XI - 2012: Table".
22. "Premier 1st XI - 2013: Table".
23. "Premier 1st XI - 2014: Table".
24. "Premier 1st XI - 2015: Table".
25. "Premier 1st XI - 2016: Table".
26. "Premier 1st XI - 2017: Table".
27. "Premier 1st XI - 2018: Table".
28. "Premier 1st XI - 2019: Table".
29. "Premier 1st XI - 2021".
30. "Premier 1st XI - 2022".
31. "Premier 1st XI - 2023".

External links

• Kent Cricket League - Official play-cricket website