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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, 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 (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 four regionalised Division 8 leagues the winners of each league go into a four team playoff, with the top two teams going up to Division 7. The bottom side of each of the four regionalised Division 8 leagues is relegated, and replaced by the winners of the four regionalised Division 9 leagues (with no relegation from Division 9).

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

  • 1999: Hagley
  • 2000: Redditch
  • 2001: Kington
  • 2002: Old Elizabethans
  • 2003: Evesham
  • 2004: Pershore
  • 2005: Ombersley
  • 2006: Kington
  • 2007: Brockhampton
  • 2008: Eastnor
  • 2009: Pershore
  • 2010: Barnards Green
  • 2011: Stourbridge
  • 2012: Worcester Nomads
  • 2013: Astwood Bank
  • 2014: Worcester
  • 2015: Pershore
  • 2016: Worcester Nomads
  • 2017: Redditch
  • 2018: Bewdley* (no promotion)
  • 2019: Astwood Bank (not promoted after finishing 3rd in Birmingham League playoffs)
  • 2020: Pershore** (no promotion, won a shortened season played in a regional format followed by playoffs)

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.

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 2021 the Worcestershire County Cricket League will be made up of the following divisions and clubs:

Premier Division

Division 1

  • Belbroughton 1st XI
  • Burghill, Tillington & Weobley 1st XI
  • Chaddesley Corbett 1st XI
  • Coombs Wood 1st XI
  • Droitwich Spa 1st XI
  • Feckenham 1st XI
  • Hagley 1st XI
  • Lye 1st XI
  • Oldswinford & Stourbridge Social 1st XI
  • Ombersley 2nd XI
  • Pedmore 1st XI
  • Worcester Nomads 1st XI

Division 2

Division 3

  • Alvechurch & Hopwood 1st XI
  • Avoncroft 1st XI
  • Bartestree & Lugwardine 1st XI
  • Brockhampton 2nd XI
  • Harborne 3rd XI
  • Martley 1st XI
  • Old Elizabethans 2nd XI
  • Old Hill 2nd XI
  • Old Vigornians 1st XI
  • Redditch 2nd XI
  • Rushwick 1st XI
  • Worcester 2nd XI

Division 4

Division 5

  • Astwood Bank 3rd XI
  • Claverley 1st XI
  • Colwall 2nd XI
  • Droitwich Spa 2nd XI
  • Halesowen 3rd XI
  • Hanley Castle & Upton 1st XI
  • Harborne 4th XI
  • Kempsey 1st XI
  • Kidderminster 3rd XI
  • Malvern 1st XI
  • West Malvern 1st XI
  • Worcester Nomads 2nd XI

Division 6

Division 7

  • Bartestree & Lugwardine 2nd XI
  • Birlingham
  • Bromsgrove 4th XI
  • Burghill, Tillington & Weobley 2nd XI
  • Cleobury Mortimer
  • Cookley 2nd XI
  • Cutnall Green
  • Evesham
  • Feckenham 2nd XI
  • Kidderminster 4th XI
  • Ombersley 3rd XI
  • Rushwick 2nd XI

Division 8 (North)

Division 8 (East)

  • Alvechurch & Hopwood 2nd XI
  • Astwood Bank 4th XI
  • Avoncroft 2nd XI
  • Buffalo Barnstormers
  • Cookhill 1st XI
  • Five Ways Old Edwardians 2nd XI
  • Harborne 5th XI
  • Himbleton 2nd XI
  • Old Halesonians 1st XI
  • Redditch 3rd XI

Division 8 (South)

  • Barnards Green 3rd XI
  • Bosbury
  • Bredon 2nd XI
  • Hanley Castle & Upton 2nd XI
  • Harvington
  • Kempsey 2nd XI
  • Malvern 2nd XI
  • Old Elizabethans 3rd XI
  • West Malvern 2nd XI
  • Worcester 3rd XI

Division 8 (West)

  • Bewdley 3rd XI
  • Chaddesley Corbett 3rd XI
  • Droitwich Spa 3rd XI
  • Hagley 3rd XI
  • Hallow Taverners
  • Highley
  • Martley 2nd XI
  • Old Elizabethans 4th XI
  • Stone
  • Tenbury Wells 1st XI

Division 9 (North)

Division 9 (East)

  • Astwood Bank 5th XI
  • Cookhill 2nd XI
  • Feckenham 3rd XI
  • Five Ways Old Edwardians 3rd XI
  • Himley 6th XI
  • Old Halesonians 2nd XI
  • Redditch 4th XI

Division 9 (South)

  • Barnards Green 4th XI
  • Bromyard 3rd XI
  • Colwall 4th XI
  • Eastnor 2nd XI
  • Malvern 3rd XI
  • Tenbury Wells 2nd XI
  • Worcester Nomads 3rd XI

Division 9 (West)

  • Avoncroft 3rd XI
  • Bredon 3rd XI
  • Droitwich Spa 4th XI
  • Pershore 4th XI
  • Rushwick 3rd XI
  • Stourport-on-Severn 4th XI
  • Worcester 4th XI

Clubs from different counties

For the 2021 season 64 different clubs will have sides in the league (148 sides in total across the 16 divisions). As well as 48 Worcestershire clubs, there are 7 clubs from Herefordshire (Bartestree & Lugwardine, Bosbury, Brockhampton, Bromyard, Burghill, Tillington & Weobley, Colwall, Eastnor), 4 from Shropshire (Alveley, Claverley, Cleobury Mortimer, Highley), 3 from Staffordshire (Enville, Himley, Old Hill), and 2 from Warwickshire (Buffalo Barnstormers, Harborne) in the league.

Famous players

80 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

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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