Liverpool and District Cricket Competition
Countries United Kingdom
FormatTime (target 110 overs)
First edition1892 (known as Liverpool Competition)
1949 (Officially constituted)
2000 (ECB Premier League)
Tournament formatLeague
Number of teams12 (1st XI ECB Premier League)
Current championOrmskirk CC
WebsiteLiverpool and District Cricket Competition

The Love Lane Liverpool and District Cricket Competition is regarded as 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.[1]

History

Although many of the district's clubs had met regularly as far back as 1850, if not 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.[1]

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.[1]

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.[1]

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.[1]

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 four Divisions, North East, North West, South East and South West.

Champions

  1. 1 2 3 Shared.
  • YearClub
    2nd XI Champions
    1999–2018
    1999 Lytham
    2000 Sefton Park
    2001 Maghull
    2002 Newton le Willows
    2003 Southport and Birkdale
    2004 Hightown
    2005 Maghull
    2006 St Helens Recs
    2007 Formby
    2008 Northop Hall
    2009 Highfield
    2010 Leigh
    2011 Maghull
    2012 Wallasey
    2013 Birkenhead Park
    2014 Formby
    2015 Colwyn Bay
    2016 Ainsdale
    2017 Rainford
    2018 Southport and Birkdale
  • YearClub
    2nd XI Champions
    2019–2022
    2019 Wigan
    2020 League suspended
    2021 Wallasey
    2022 Rainford
    2023 Ormskirk

      Premier Division performance by season from 2003

      Key
      Gold Champions
      Blue Left League
      Red Relegated
      Performance by season, from 2003
      Club 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
      Ainsdale 12
      Birkenhead Park 7 6 12 11
      Bootle 1 1 4 1 1 2 1 6 4 5 5 6 4 5 2 4 1 11
      Colwyn Bay 2 6 7 5 5 7 11 10 4 9 11 12
      Fleetwood Hesketh 9 5 7 5 13 10 11
      Formby 10 14 5 2 10 3 5 5 7 5
      Highfield 4 9 6 11 12 12
      Hightown 12 8 6 9 7 8 10 12
      Huyton 2 9 6 7 13
      Leigh 7 4 10 6 14 3 4 3 8 9 1 7 5 9 3 3 3
      Lytham 4 2 5 11 5 4 4 1 6 1 4 3 8 9 9 7 12
      Maghull 9 12 9 11 13 9 7 12
      New Brighton 5 8 3 10 2 3 2 3 5 8 8 2 1 7 6 10 4 9 10 10
      Newton-le-Willows 12 10 8 11 12
      Northern 8 3 1 3 4 8 8 9 2 3 1 4 3 4 5 1 3 1 4 2
      Northop Hall 10 10 11 7 10 12
      Ormskirk 6 5 7 4 3 1 3 2 1 2 2 1 2 3 1 2 2 4 2 1
      Orrell Red Triangle 7 8 9 11
      Prestatyn 9 11 12
      Rainford 10 12 11 11 4
      Rainhill 9 7 8 3 6 8 6 6 9
      Sefton Park 7 8 12 12
      Southport & Birkdale 11 9 12 12 7 9 10 11 11 10 10 8 7
      St Helens Town 12 14
      Wallasey 3 6 2 8 10 11 6 11 6 5 10 6 8 8 6 2 1 6
      Wigan 11 7 5 8
      References [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19][lower-alpha 1] [20] [21] [22]
      1. ↑ Coronavirus pandemic forced a reduction in league activity - halving the number of matches played.

      See also

      References

      1. 1 2 3 4 5 "L&DCC History". lpoolcomp.co.uk. L&DCC. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
      2. ↑ "1st XI ECB Premier League - 2003".
      3. ↑ "1st XI ECB Premier League - 2004".
      4. ↑ "1st XI ECB Premier League - 2005".
      5. ↑ "1st XI ECB Premier League - 2006".
      6. ↑ "1st XI ECB Premier League - 2007".
      7. ↑ "1st XI ECB Premier League - 2008".
      8. ↑ "1st XI ECB Premier League - 2009".
      9. ↑ "1st XI ECB Premier League - 2010".
      10. ↑ "1st XI ECB Premier League - 2011".
      11. ↑ "1st XI ECB Premier League - 2012".
      12. ↑ "1st XI ECB Premier League - 2013".
      13. ↑ "1st XI ECB Premier League - 2014".
      14. ↑ "1st XI ECB Premier League - 2015".
      15. ↑ "1st XI ECB Premier League - 2016".
      16. ↑ "1st XI ECB Premier League - 2017".
      17. ↑ "1st XI ECB Premier League - 2018".
      18. ↑ "1st XI ECB Premier League - 2019".
      19. ↑ "1st XI ECB Premier League - 2020".
      20. ↑ "1st XI ECB Premier League - 2021".
      21. ↑ "1st XI ECB Premier League - 2022".
      22. ↑ "1st XI ECB Premier League - 2023".
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