Worcestershire County Cricket League

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The Worcestershire County Cricket League (WCL) is an English club cricket league, and consists of club teams primarily from Worcestershire and Herefordshire, several other clubs from bordering counties Shropshire, Staffordshire and Warwickshire, and Wales.

Contents

History

The Worcestershire County Cricket League was created in 1999 as part of the new 'pyramid system' in English club cricket, and acts as a feeder league to the Birmingham and District Premier League. It was formed mainly as a merger between the old Worcestershire Clubs' League and the Autobag/Plumb Centre League. Other clubs came from the Midland Combined Counties League, the 3D Cricket PLJ League, and in the case of Herefordshire sides, the Marches Cricket League and the Willowsticks Three Counties Cricket League. For the 2023 season the WCL took over the administration of the Marches League (the only open age cricket league based in Herefordshire, which also included some clubs from Wales), thereby adding another 29 sides and 17 new clubs.

There is promotion and relegation and most divisions of the league operate on a two up/two down basis, although the feeder league status means that more than two sides may be relegated from the Premier Division, with knock-on effects on other divisions, if one or more Worcestershire (also Herefordshire in the past) side is relegated from Birmingham League Division 1. Other exceptions to this are in the Premier Division (where the winner is only promoted to the Birmingham and District Premier League if they finish in the top 2 out of the 4 feeder league champions, after a round-robin competition between the 4 sides at the end of the season).

In the two regionalised Division 7 leagues (North & South) the winners go up to Division 6 and the two bottom placed teams in each division are relegated to the Division 8 regional leagues. In the five regionalised Division 8 leagues (North, South, East, West, & Marches League Division 1) the winners of each of the five divisions and the three best-placed runners-up go into end of season playoffs, with the winners of the first round of playoffs going into Divisions 7 North & South for the following season.

Winners of Division 1/Premier Division of the Worcestershire County Cricket League, who have been promoted to the Birmingham and District Premier League, since 1999 are:

WCL Division 1

WCL Premier Division

In 2018 there was no promotion from any of the four county feeder leagues due to the restructuring of the Birmingham & District Premier League.

In 2020 there was no promotion from any of the four county feeder leagues due to the shortened season resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

From 2019 onwards the winners of the Worcestershire County League's new Premier Division went into a round-robin playoff at the end of the season with the winners of the Shropshire, Staffordshire and Warwickshire leagues, with the top two sides out of the four being promoted to the Birmingham & District Premier League.

Division 1/Premier Division Championships

Divisional structure

From 1999 until 2018 from Division 1 down to Division 4 there were separate 2nd XI Divisions, with the 4th XI of those sides whose 3rd XIs played in the league competing against other clubs' 2nd XIs. From 2006, Division 1 and 2 2nd XIs were promoted and relegated independently of their 1st XIs (and 4th XIs could be promoted or relegated independently of their 3rd XIs), from 2007 the same applied to Division 3, and from 2014 this also applied to Division 4. Clubs could only be promoted from Division 5 if they were able to field two XIs in the following season, and there was a space available in Division 4.

At the end of the 2018 season the league absorbed six 1st XIs that were relegated out of the Birmingham and District Premier League due to the league downsizing from 48 to 24 clubs, as well as 14 2nd XIs, due to the B&DPCL no longer holding a 2nd XI competition from 2019 onwards. The 1st XIs to be relegated were Astwood Bank, Old Elizabethans, Old Hill, Pershore, Redditch and Stourbridge. The 2nd XIs that were absorbed by the WCL were Astwood Bank, Barnards Green, Barnt Green, Brockhampton, Bromsgrove, Halesowen, Himley, Kidderminster, Old Elizabethans, Old Hill, Ombersley, Pershore, Redditch, and Stourbridge.

For the 2019 season the league adopted a 'linear structure' so that 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th XIs would all be part of the same 'ladder system', and theoretically a 2nd, 3rd or 4th XI etc. would be able to be promoted as far as the new WCL Premier Division (one division below the Birmingham and District Premier League).

For the 2021 season several of the league's lower divisions were regionalised, so that the top 8 divisions (Premier to Division 7) remained county wide, but Divisions 8 and 9 were regionalised into North, South, East and West divisions. For the 2022 season a county wide Division 8 was added, with three regional divisions in Division 9 and four regional divisions in the new Division 10. This was adjusted again for 2023, with Divisions 7 & 8 being regionalised into Division 7 North & South, and Division 8 being split into four regional divisions of North, South, East & West. At the bottom of the league, Division 9 has two divisions of North and South.

For the 2023 season the league took over the administration of the Marches Cricket League, with the winners (and potentially 2nd-placed team) in Marches League Division 1 being offered the chance to compete in the Division 8 playoffs. The rest of the Marches League Divisions will operate on a two-up, two down basis, apart from there being no relegation from Division 3.

For 2024 the Worcestershire County Cricket League will be made up of the following divisions and clubs:

Premier Division

Division 1

Division 2

Division 3

Division 4

Division 5

Division 6

Division 7 (North)

Division 7 (South)

Division 8 (North)

Division 8 (East)

Division 8 (South)

Division 8 (West)

Marches League Division 1

Division 9 (North)

Division 9 (South)

Marches League Division 2

Marches League Division 3

Clubs from different counties

For the 2024 season, 79 different clubs will have sides in the league (193 sides in total across the 18 divisions).

Famous players

89 First-Class and List A cricketers have played in the Worcestershire County Cricket League, including 20 internationals:

Internationals, and club represented

England

New Zealand

West Indies

Pakistan

Sri Lanka

Zimbabwe

Scotland

Other First Class and List A players, and club(s) represented

England

Australia

South Africa

West Indies

New Zealand

India

Pakistan

Sri Lanka

Zimbabwe

Namibia

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