Worcestershire County Cricket League


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

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.
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 or Herefordshire side is relegated from Birmingham League Division 1. Other exceptions to this are in the Premier Division, and in the three regional Division 11 divisions.
Winners of Division 1 of the Worcestershire County Cricket League, who have been promoted to the Birmingham and District Premier League, since 1999 are:
From 2019 onwards the winners of the Worcestershire County League's new Premier Division go 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.

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, 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.
For the 2019 season the league has adopted a 'linear structure' so that 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th XIs will all be part of the same 'ladder system', and theoretically a 2nd, 3rd or 4th XI will be able to be promoted as far as the new WCL Premier Division.
At the end of the 2018 season the league also 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 2019 the Worcestershire County Cricket League will be made up of the following divisions and clubs:

Premier Division

For the 2019 season 63 different clubs will have sides in the league. As well as 49 Worcestershire clubs, there are 6 clubs from Herefordshire, 4 from Shropshire, 3 from Staffordshire, and 1 from Warwickshire in the league.

Famous players

75 First-Class and List A cricketers have played in the Worcestershire County Cricket League, including 15 internationals:

Internationals, and club represented

England
New Zealand
West Indies
Pakistan
Sri Lanka
Zimbabwe
Scotland
England
Australia
South Africa
West Indies
New Zealand
India
Pakistan
Sri Lanka
Zimbabwe
Namibia