After discussions at league meetings and feedback received from clubs we understand that there are some issues within the WCL that need addressing urgently.
Firstly, due to the withdrawal of teams in the higher divisions last season, we now have teams who should have been relegated but were not and others who were promoted from positions as low as fifth in their respective division. Some of these teams who are playing in a division higher than they should feel that they are out of their depth and consequently may lose players who are not interested in playing in mismatches most weeks. Similar could be said about players from teams who are winning these mismatches. Non competitive cricket does not help clubs retain players (especially juniors) which is vital to the survival of teams and in some cases entire clubs.
Secondly, due to various reasons, Sunday cricket is now off the agenda for a lot of players and as a result the cup competitions are becoming devalued. Participation in the Fred Fleetwood Cup has increased but this is most likely due to clubs wanting to avoid the compulsory fine that was introduced this season. The standard of the majority of teams is a long way from what they are turning out on a Saturday and the challenge of winning our flagship cup competition is diminishing. As for the Hare Cup, the vast majority of teams have not participated at all with only 12 of them playing in the competition this season.
So how do we address these issues? Our proposal is as follows:
· From 2014 we change the league structure to divisions of 10. This will realign the divisions and ensure that the difference in standard between the teams at the top and bottom of the table is reduced resulting in many more competitive games that players want to play in week in week out, which will help all clubs with player retention. This will reduce the league season to 18 games.
· We move the first round, second round and quarter finals of both the Fred Fleetwood Cup and Hare Cup to Saturdays. This will provide an additional 3 Saturday games for those who progress.
· We introduce a plate competition for those who are eliminated from the first round of both the Fred Fleetwood Cup and Hare Cup. The first round and second round of the plate competition will also be played on Saturdays. Again, this will provide an additional 3 Saturday games for those who progress.
The only issue we have is how do we draw up the division of 10 and this is where we would like the clubs to let us know which option they prefer. Please find attached the two options that we would like you to discuss with your club members. The columns represent the current divisions and the numbers show the positions that the teams finish in this season. Those positions that are shaded are the ones that will play in a different division in 2014. For example, in option A the teams that finish in positions 1 to 6 in division three will remain in division three, those in positions 7 to 12 will move to division four next season.
· Option A does not allow for any team to be promoted this season.
· Option B allows for the champions of divisions two, three, four and five to be promoted in place of an additional team from the division above.
Our preference is option B, as not only do we believe that the champions of each of those divisions will be more than capable of playing in the division above but this also ensures that teams towards the top of each division have something to play for during the remainder of this season. We do not want to be in the position where teams are playing ‘dead rubbers’ from several weeks before the end of this season as this would not help clubs with player retention if they are playing in meaningless games week after week.
We are aware of the problems that occurred when the previous Management Board tried to introduce a change to the league structure in 2010. Many believed that their proposal forced teams and their players to play at a level that was not suitable and this reason was fundamental in their proposal being overturned by the clubs. Our proposal does the exact opposite to theirs. We are aware that a wider ability gap between teams reduces the element of competition. The weaker teams suffer poor morale and a reduction of enjoyment amongst players, which can lead to apathy. Conversely closer competition heightens enjoyment and develops a healthy interest in sport, hence the reason for our proposal.
This is how we will proceed:
1. We are proposing this change as per rule 13.1 which states ‘The teams competing in the League Championship shall be divided into divisions and the constitution of such divisions shall be determined by the Senior Cricket Committee’.
2. We would like all clubs to submit their preference by 6pm on Friday 5th July. We will take it that any club who does not submit their preference has abstained. We would also welcome feedback from clubs on the proposal as well as any other ideas that you believe could improve it in any way. These can then be discussed by us at future meetings.
3. We will then notify the clubs by e-mail on the evening of Friday 5th July as to the option that is preferred by the majority of the clubs and adjust the league tables on the website accordingly. This will ensure every team in the league knows what they need to do on the pitch to ensure they are in the highest division possible (or most suitable). We feel it is the ideal time to do this as each team will still have every other team in their division to play at some stage during the second half of the season. This will ensure their destiny is in their own hands and not others.
No matter what the outcome is, the following options remain:
1. Rule 7.5 states ‘The Board reserves the right to overturn any decision made by the Senior Cricket Committee’.
2. Rule 8.4 states ‘A Special General Meeting of the League may be called at any time by the League Secretary:
a) Upon the authority of the Board.
b) Within fourteen days of receipt of a written requisition bearing the signature of the Chairman or Secretary of no less than twelve clubs. Such requisitions must take the form of a definitive resolution to be moved and seconded by two of the signatory clubs’.
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