Liverpool and District Cricket Competition

The Liverpool and District Cricket Competition is the top level of competition for recreational club cricket in the Liverpool area and since 2000 has been a designated ECB Premier League.


The Competition operates a three divisional system with Premier, First and Second Divisions, the Southport and District Amateur Cricket League is its feeder league.

History

Although many of the district's clubs had met regularly as far back as 1850, or earlier, it was not until 1892 that a Liverpool newspaper began publishing a weekly table and calling it the Liverpool Competition to create more interest in the game.

The eleven senior clubs making up the original table were Birkenhead Park, Bootle, Formby, Huyton, Liverpool, New Brighton, Northern, Ormskirk, Oxton, Rock Ferry and Sefton.

Neston were offered first team fixtures in 1908 and, in 1919, Hightown and Southport and Birkdale joined whilst Wallasey took over the fixtures of the Rock Ferry club who did not resume after the First War. Boughton Hall (later known as Chester Boughton Hall) were invited to join in 1923.

The Competition continued until 1947 when it was decided to admit a sixteenth club and Preston were voted in. Two years later, fixtures were standardised by all clubs agreeing to meet each other, and although there was no suggestion of a league, it was decided to regard the table as official.

Preston resigned at the end of the 1952 season to be replaced by St Helens Recs in 1953.

In recent years, the Liverpool and District Cricket Competition has changed radically. There was an expansion in 1996 that introduced clubs from further afield in Lancashire and North Wales but saw founder members Birkenhead Park, Chester Boughton Hall, Neston and Oxton resign to join the Cheshire County Cricket League for the 1998 season. Of the four, only Oxton had failed to be champions of the Liverpool and District Cricket Competition.

In 1999 a two division structure was introduced, and in 2000 the 1st XI Premier Division was awarded ECB Premier League status.

From the end of the 2004 season, promotion from and relegation to the Merseyside and Southport Cricket Alliance feeder league was introduced, but was then curtailed from the end of the 2009 season. At this time, additional clubs from the Alliance were 'invited' to join, to form a new three divisional structure.

Moorfield and Southport Trinity resigned to return to the Merseyside Competition and Southport League respectively for 2012. Birkenhead Park (returning) and Old Xaverians (Merseyside Competition) elected to replace them.

Following the demise of St Helens before the start of the 2012 season, St Helens Recs assumed the name St Helens Town. The Second Division ran with eleven teams.

Spring View from the Bolton and District Cricket Association joined the Second Division in 2013.

For over thirty years Liverpool Competition legend Ian Cockbain snr played his club cricket at Bootle before retiring at the end of the 2008 season aged 50. During the winter of 2012-2013, he was persuaded by a friend to come out of retirement and join his club Formby, where Cockbain now lives, with a view to captaining the side in 2014 and, with his vast experience, hopefully take them from the First Division into the ECB Premier League for 2015, the year of the club's 150th anniversary. On the last day of the 2014 season, Formby were proclaimed champions, winning the division by twenty points and thus fulfilling the club's dream for 2015.

2nd XIs play in a similar three divisional structure but independent of the 1st XIs.

There is a two divisional structure for Saturday 3rd XIs and below, with another structure for those clubs preferring to play on Sundays. They have a Premier Division and two First Divisions, North East and South West.

1st XI Divisions for 2010

ECB Premier League: Bootle, Colwyn Bay, Highfield, Hightown, Lytham, New Brighton, Newton le Willows, Northern, Northop Hall, Ormskirk, Prestatyn, Wallasey.

First Division: Fleetwood Hesketh, Formby, Leigh, Liverpool, Maghull, Orrell Red Triangle, Rainford, Rainhill, Sefton Park, Skelmersdale, Southport and Birkdale, Wigan.

Second Division: Ainsdale, Alder, Birkenhead St Mary's, Burscough, Caldy, Moorfield, Parkfield Liscard, St Helens, St Helens Recs, Southport Trinity, Sutton, Wavertree.

1st XI Divisions for 2011

ECB Premier League: Bootle, Colwyn Bay, Highfield, Hightown, Leigh, Lytham, New Brighton, Newton le Willows, Northern, Northop Hall, Ormskirk, Rainford.

First Division: Alder, Formby, Liverpool, Maghull, Orrell Red Triangle, Prestatyn, Rainhill, St Helens Recs, Sefton Park, Southport and Birkdale, Wallasey, Wigan.

Second Division: Ainsdale, Birkenhead St Mary's, Burscough, Caldy, Fleetwood Hesketh, Moorfield, Parkfield Liscard, St Helens, Skelmersdale, Southport Trinity, Sutton, Wavertree.

1st XI Divisions for 2012

ECB Premier League: Bootle, Colwyn Bay, Highfield, Hightown, Leigh, Lytham, Maghull, New Brighton, Northern, Ormskirk, Rainford, Southport and Birkdale,

First Division: Ainsdale, Alder, Fleetwood Hesketh, Formby, Liverpool, Newton le Willows, Northop Hall, Orrell Red Triangle, Rainhill, Sefton Park, Wallasey, Wigan.

Second Division: Birkenhead Park, Birkenhead St Mary's, Burscough, Caldy, Old Xaverians, Parkfield Liscard, Prestatyn, St Helens Recs, Skelmersdale, Sutton, Wavertree.

1st XI Divisions for 2013

ECB Premier League: Bootle, Fleetwood Hesketh, Highfield, Hightown, Leigh, Lytham, Maghull, New Brighton, Northern, Ormskirk, Southport and Birkdale, Wallasey.

First Division: Ainsdale, Birkenhead Park, Colwyn Bay, Formby, Liverpool, Newton le Willows, Northop Hall, Orrell Red Triangle, Parkfield Liscard, Rainford, Rainhill, Wigan.

Second Division: Alder, Birkenhead St Mary's, Burscough, Caldy, Old Xaverians, Prestatyn, St Helens Town, Sefton Park, Skelmersdale, Spring View, Sutton, Wavertree.

1st XI Divisions for 2014

ECB Premier League: Birkenhead Park, Bootle, Fleetwood Hesketh, Leigh, Lytham, Maghull, New Brighton, Northern, Ormskirk, Rainhill, Southport and Birkdale, Wallasey.

First Division: Ainsdale, Colwyn Bay, Highfield, Formby, Liverpool, Newton le Willows, Northop Hall, Orrell Red Triangle, Rainford, Sefton Park, Wavertree, Wigan.

Second Division: Alder, Birkenhead St Mary's, Burscough, Caldy, Hightown, Old Xaverians, Parkfield Liscard, Prestatyn, St Helens Town, Skelmersdale, Spring View, Sutton.

1st XI Divisions for 2015

ECB Premier League: Birkenhead Park, Bootle, Formby, Highfield, Leigh, Lytham, New Brighton, Northern, Ormskirk, Rainhill, Southport and Birkdale, Wallasey.

First Division: Ainsdale, Colwyn Bay, Fleetwood Hesketh, Liverpool, Maghull, Newton le Willows, Northop Hall, Prestatyn, Rainford, St Helens Town, Sefton Park, Wigan.

Second Division: Alder, Birkenhead St Mary's, Burscough, Caldy, Hightown, Old Xaverians, Parkfield Liscard, Orrell Red Triangle, Skelmersdale, Spring View, Sutton, Wavertree.


Champions

year1st XI Division2nd XI Division
1949 Bootle Southport and Birkdale
1950 Bootle Southport and Birkdale
1951 Boughton Hall Boughton Hall
1952 Liverpool Birkenhead Park
1953 Liverpool Liverpool
1954 Liverpool and Southport and Birkdale (joint) New Brighton
1955 Birkenhead Park Sefton
1956 Bootle Southport and Birkdale
1957 Chester Boughton Hall and Neston (joint) Southport and Birkdale
1958 Hightown and Ormskirk (joint) Southport and Birkdale
1959 Liverpool Southport and Birkdale
1960 Birkenhead Park Liverpool
1961 Birkenhead Park Neston
1962 Birkenhead Park Oxton
1963 Birkenhead Park Northern
1964 Birkenhead Park Neston
1965 Neston Southport and Birkdale
1966 Birkenhead Park Neston
1967 Sefton Liverpool
1968 Liverpool Liverpool
1969 Neston Oxton
1970 Neston Liverpool
1971 Ormskirk Birkenhead Park
1972 Sefton Ormskirk
1973 Ormskirk Liverpool
1974 New Brighton New Brighton
1975 Southport and Birkdale Sefton
1976 Ormskirk Huyton
1977 Ormskirk Sefton and Birkenhead Park (joint)
1978 St Helens Recs Liverpool
1979 Southport and Birkdale Chester Boughton Hall
1980 Ormskirk Bootle
1981 Liverpool St Helens Recs
1982 New Brighton Liverpool
1983 New Brighton Sefton
1984 Bootle Birkenhead Park
1985 Chester Boughton Hall St Helens Recs
1986 Birkenhead Park Birkenhead Park
1987 Bootle Birkenhead Park
1988 Birkenhead Park Sefton
1989 Bootle Northern
1990 Bootle Chester Boughton Hall
1991 New Brighton Bootle
1992 Neston New Brighton
1993 New Brighton Neston
1994 Chester Boughton Hall New Brighton and Wallasey (joint)
1995 Bootle New Brighton
1996 Southport and Birkdale Oxton
1997 Bootle Neston
1998 New Brighton Southport and Birkdale
year1st XI Premier Division1st XI First Division2nd XI Premier Division2nd XI First Division
1999 Bootle Lytham Sefton Park Liverpool
year1st XI ECB Premier League1st XI First Division2nd XI Premier Division2nd XI First Division
2000 Wallasey Sefton Park Liverpool Newton le Willows
2001 Ormskirk Maghull Bootle Huyton
2002 Wallasey Newton le Willows Bootle Colwyn Bay
2003 Bootle Southport and Birkdale Bootle Liverpool
2004 Bootle Hightown Bootle Sefton Park
2005 Northern Maghull Bootle Fleetwood Hesketh
2006 Bootle St Helens Recs Bootle Highfield
2007 Bootle Formby Bootle Northop Hall
2008 Ormskirk Northop Hall New Brighton Formby
2009 Bootle Highfield Bootle Orrell Red Triangle
year1st XI ECB Premier League1st XI First Division1st XI Second Division2nd XI Premier Division2nd XI First Division2nd XI Second Division
2010 Lytham Leigh St Helens Recs Bootle Maghull St Helens
2011 Ormskirk Maghull Ainsdale Bootle Colwyn Bay Burscough
2012 Lytham Wallasey Birkenhead Park Bootle Ormskirk Birkenhead Park
2013 Northern Birkenhead Park Sefton Park Bootle Birkenhead Park St Helens Town
2014 Ormskirk Formby Prestatyn Birkenhead Park Fleetwood Hesketh Newton le Willows

External links