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 from Worcestershire, Herefordshire, and several other sides from bordering counties.

1 History
2 Divisional Structure
3 Famous Players
- 3.1 Internationals
- 3.2 First class players
4 External links

[edit] 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 Division 1, with knock-on effects on other divisions, if more than one Worcestershire or Herefordshire side is relegated from Birmingham League Division 3. Other exceptions to this are in Division 1 (where only the winner is promoted to the Birmingham and District Premier League), Division 3 (three down), and Divisions 4 North and South (one up from each plus the winner of a playoff between the two 2nd placed teams). There is also no relegation from Division 4 North and South, and clubs can only be promoted from Division 5 if they are able to field two XIs in the following season, and there is a space available in either of the Division 4s.

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 Cricket Club
2000: Redditch Cricket Club
2001: Kington Cricket Club
2002: Old Elizabethans Cricket Club
2003: Evesham Cricket Club
2004: Pershore Cricket Club
2005: Ombersley Cricket Club
2006: Kington Cricket Club
2007: Brockhampton Cricket Club

[edit] Divisional Structure

For 2008 the Worcestershire County Cricket League is made up of the following divisions and clubs:

[edit] Division One

Astwood Bank
Barnards Green
Bromyard
Droitwich Spa
Eastnor
Netherton
Oldswinford
Pershore
Redditch
Stourbridge
Worcester
Worcester Nomads

[edit] Division Two

Alvechurch & Hopwood
Avoncroft
Bewdley
Chaddesley Corbett
Colwall
Coombs Wood
Feckenham
Lye
Malvern
Monmouth
Pedmore
Romsley & Hunnington

[edit] Division Three

Belbroughton
Birlingham
Cookley
Cutnall Green
Enville
Hagley
Harborne 3rd XI
Kidderminster Victoria 3rd XI
Old Elizabethans 3rd XI
Rushwick
Stourport
Wormelow

[edit] Division Four North

Alveley
Amblecote & Wollaston
Barnt Green 3rd XI
Belbroughton 3rd XI
Bromsgrove 3rd XI
Claverley
Halesowen 3rd XI
Himley 3rd XI
Stourbridge 3rd XI
Stourbridge Social

[edit] Division Four South

Burghill & Tillington
Barnards Green 3rd XI
Canon Frome
Hanley Castle & Upton
Himbleton
Martley
Old Vigornians
Ross on Wye
Tenbury
Worcester Dominies & Guild

From Division 1 down to Divisions 4 North and South, there are also separate 2nd XI Divisions, with the 4th XI of those sides above whose 3rd XIs play 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 can be promoted or relegated independently of their 3rd XIs), and from 2007 the same applied to Division 3.

[edit] Division Five

Badsey
Brintons
Chain-Wire
Cleobury Mortimer
Evesham 3rd XI
Hewell
Highley
Knighton-on-Teme
Vine
West Malvern

[edit] Division Six

Bewdley 3rd XI
Coombs Wood 3rd XI
Droitwich Spa 3rd XI
Kidderminster Victoria 5th XI
Old Hill 3rd XI
Pershore 3rd XI
Stone

[edit] Division Seven

Astwood Bank 3rd XI
Hallow
Kempsey
Malvern 3rd XI
Netherton 3rd XI
Ombersley 3rd XI
Worcester 3rd XI
Worcester Nomads 3rd XI

[edit] Division Eight

Amblecote & Wollaston 3rd XI
Astwood Bank 4th XI
Avoncroft 3rd XI
Chaddesley Corbett 3rd XI
Cleobury Mortimer 2nd XI
Enville 3rd XI
Harborne 5th XI
Hewell 2nd XI

[edit] Division Nine

Coombs Wood 4th XI
Feckenham 3rd XI
Oldswinford 3rd XI
Pershore 4th XI
Romsley & Hunnington 3rd XI
Stourport 3rd XI
West Malvern 2nd XI
Worcester Nomads 4th XI

[edit] Famous Players

Several current or ex-professional cricketers have played in the Worcestershire County Cricket League in its short history:

[edit] Internationals

England

New Zealand

Daniel Flynn

Pakistan

Sri Lanka

Chamila Gamage also known as Chamila Gamage Lakshitha
Dharshana Gamage

[edit] First class players

England

Duncan Catterall
Damian D'Oliveira
Liam O'Driscoll
William Thomas

Australia

Michael Jeh
Craig Jones

South Africa

Andre (Leon) Botha
Wesley Euley
Calvin Flowers

West Indies

Mali Richards

India

Neeraj Chawla
Sachin Khartade
Shashi Ranjan