Birmingham League shake up is opposed

A radical plan to shake-up the Birmingham & District Cricket League's structure has been opposed by its clubs.

The league's management committee had put forward a proposal which would have seen the bottom division – Division Three – scrapped at the end of the 2017 season.

But it was unanimously opposed by the 12 clubs who are set to form the division next year, during a meeting held at Fordhouses Cricket Club earlier this week.

Fordhouses skipper Chris Guest said: "Every team in the division has fought tooth and nail to be in the Birmingham League. It is not something we want to give up."

Under the proposals, the league would have been left with three divisions – Premier, One and Two.

Then the 12 clubs from Division Three would be placed in their respective feeder leagues in Staffordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.

It followed a recent National Playing Survey, which found growing player dissatisfaction with the amount of travel and the length of the games compared to higher divisions.

But Guest said: "I think the questions asked in the survey meant those kind of findings were inevitable.

"I don't know anyone who, faced with a question over whether they would like to travel less, is going to answer no.

"In reality, the travel is not a massive issue. As a club, we have aspirations of playing in the Birmingham League at a higher level – that is what we are building toward.

"You just have to accept the travel as part of it all. In terms of reducing it or increasing the competitiveness of the league, I don't see how removing a division changes that.

"You are always going to have players at a lower level being paid by the clubs. That is just how things are."

The issue will now be discussed by the league's management committee on Monday. They are likely to decide whether to proceed with the proposal, make amendments or scrap it altogether.

League general manager Nick Archer admitted the possible restructure was a 'mammoth subject,' but insisted that 'doing nothing' was unlikely to be an option.

Leagues across the country were asked to review their current format for lower divisions and second team cricket at this year's ECB chairman's meeting.