CLL agrees switch to two divisions of eight

ALAN DUROSE: “Something that was needed.”

CRICKET:

Step in the right direction – Royton skipper
ROYTON first-team captain Alan Durose has described the CLL’s switch to a two-division format as “a breath of fresh air.”

The Paddock club voted for the CLL Steering Committee’s proposals, having previously spoken of their support for a change.

And Durose, who led Royton to last year’s Wood Cup final and sixth place in the league, is delighted with the news.

Durose, who has played in the CLL since 1999, said: “There was a need for change.

“This is a breath of fresh air and a step in the right direction. I think it is something the CLL needed. Clubs who go out of the Wood Cup and cannot win the league now have something to play for throughout the season.”

Asked whether Royton will be pulling out all the stops to secure a place in the 2013 Premier Division, Durose said: “Absolutely. It is our main priority.”

Former league chairman Howard Dronsfield has long been an advocate of two divisions and tried to introduce the format when he was in office.

But while he agrees with Durose and is glad to see a split system in the league, he worries about the repetitive nature of fixtures.

He said: “For a start each team will play each other four times. Then you could draw a team in the Wood Cup, making it five, and possibly the Twenty20, bringing it to six, which is just too much.

“When I was chairman I wanted a league where there were two divisions in the first half of the season, with each team playing another home and away.

“Then in the second half of the season, every team in the league would have played each other once.

“Another problem with this system is that one of the local teams could miss out on a number of derby matches.

“Let’s say Royton are in the Premier Division and Werneth, Crompton and Oldham are in the Championship, then that’s six derby games they would be without.”

Werneth stalwart Dronsfield, a life member of the CLL, is also worried about approaches by ambitious Premier Division clubs to players in the Championship, which could make the lower-level teams even weaker.

“It could happen, but as far as this season is concerned it’s going to be very interesting.”




A special general meeting of the 16-member clubs voted in favour of the change to two divisions from 2013, to provide more competitive and meaningful cricket.



Under the CLL constitution, there needed to be a two-thirds majority for such a move. Clubs voted 11-5 in favour. The changes will last two seasons, after which clubs will be asked to decide whether they want to continue or choose a different format.

The top eight finishers in this summer’s CLL will form a Premier Division in 2013. Clubs placed ninth to 16th will go into the Championship and there will be promotion and relegation. Each team will play the others in their division seven times, bringing the total number of fixtures to 28 instead of the current 30.

Second X1 teams will take part in parallel divisions and only their placings will determine which they will end up in. First XI performances will have no bearing on second-team competition.

The two-division move has come about following a CLL Steering Committee investigation into how best to take the league forward.

Its members made the recommendations which have now been introduced, but the special meeting to rubber stamp the new ideas could not be convened until four member clubs proposed it.

Those clubs included Crompton and Royton, who are likely to field strong sides this summer and will be confident of finishing in the top eight.

Norden – who have long advocated a switch to two divisions – and Walsden were the other two clubs to call for the historic, format-changing meeting.

The CLL’s premier knock-out competition, the John Willie Lees Wood Cup, has been left unaltered, with a straight draw involving all member clubs.