THE Guernsey Cricket Association aims to create a new Evening League Premier Division to inject some lost prestige into the short game.
From next season it is planned to have a new Twenty-20-style league on grass.
The move follows a general view that the first division of the Evening League, for years the be-all and end-all of the local game, has become stale and there are only a handful of meaningful matches as the top clubs, especially Cobo, have become too strong for the lesser teams.
‘The last couple of years there’s been a growing divide between the top and bottom sides in the first division,’ said GCA president Mark Latter (pictured).
‘There’s been a few grumblings about the level of cricket being played.
‘Rather than ignore that, there’s an opportunity here to improve the league structure and make them all more competitive by spreading players around and help Guernsey cricket by allowing the chaps representing the island to play Evening League on grass as well as at the weekends.’
The Twenty-20 competition will feature the island’s four weekend clubs – Cobo, Wanderers, Argyll Investments and Optimists-Rovers, along with a Guernsey Cricket Board select side.
It will take place on Monday and Tuesday evenings during June and July.
Latter explained the thinking behind playing on grass wickets.
‘Because that’s proper cricket and there’s every possibility going forward of having World Cricket League staying at 50 overs and European going to Twenty-20 or having it’s own Twenty-20 competition,’ he said.
‘So there’s no harm in our guys preparing for that.’
Players will be registered to their side and will not be
allowed to play down the league ladder for their original Evening Leagues clubs.
The teams will play each other twice, giving only eight matches in total.
Latter denied that this will create a lack of competitive cricket for the Premier League players.
He pointed out that the island players will have representative cricket and training.
There is also room for a Twenty-20 finals day and other competitions either side of the Premier League.
Beneath the Premier League there will be five divisions with eight teams in each.
These teams will lose players as they move up to fill the gaps created by the Premier League sides.
‘A lot of clubs are still playing two, three or four teams and they’ve probably not got the facilities to run them all,’ said Latter.
‘This shake might get them to look at themselves and maybe lose a team if they’ve not got enough players.’
Latter is sending information out to the clubs about the proposals and he is hoping to have a meeting to discuss them at the end of the month.
He is also keen to set up a players’ committee filled with cricketers from all the leagues that will meet on a quarterly basis and more often during the season.
‘The key thing is getting this playing committee going and letting people have their say,’ said Latter.
‘The Premier League is something that we will put to the clubs and something will come out of it. Whatever it is is down to the clubs, but something along these lines is the right way to go.
‘It doesn’t hurt to have a look.’
Article posted on 7th November, 2009 - 2.30pm
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