A NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE? (24 February 1999)

24 February 1999

A NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE?

by Gerry Wolstenholme

Whilst the Liverpool Competition seem to have committed themselves to a Premier League future in Lancashire, the Vaux Northern League still remains undecided. The fact that the Liverpool Competition have agreed that a Premier League is the right way forward does not prejudice the Northern League position in any way because the English Cricket Board accept that there can be more than one Premier League, with its supporting feeder leagues, in any one county.

The Northern League does accept the Premier League concept but has a number of concerns over the playing conditions required to get accreditation from the ECB. The League feels it needs those concerns answering before any offer from the Lancashire Cricket Board could be fully considered. "We don't want to accept an offer and then renege on it when our questions are answered" is the philosophy of the Northern League Chairman Norman Brown. The main stumbling block is the requirement to play games consisting of 120 overs; the Northern League feels that this is unacceptable as it creates a number of difficulties such as players availability for an early start and having the ground ready in good time for prompt action at 12:30pm. In addition the thought is that the longer game will not attract spectators, thus creating a loss of income through gate money, membership subscriptions and catering and bar receipts. In addition, the question of sponsorship is problematic, with the Northern League concerned that money from such a source could be lost.

Whether or not there would be such losses is open to debate, but on the other hand the establishment of a Premier League would mean that the ECB, through the LCB, would provide sums of money ranging from #1,000 to #4,000 to the clubs, depending on circumstances. As for sponsorship the Chairman of the LCB, John Brewer, makes it clear when he says, "We will definitely help in trying to find a sponsor should the Northern League commit itself to the Premier League structure."

On the question of 120 over games, Frank Kemp of the ECB is firm when he says, "The 120 over requirement is mandatory for accreditation," but he does add, "there is a smaller package in a Premier League Elect status for clubs who wish to go some way towards meeting the criteria in the first year before fully committing themselves thereafter." Leagues in Nottinghamshire and Northamptonshire have gone along this path and they will be looked at again when their annual accreditation comes up for review.

So, for the moment at least, the ball is very much in the Northern League court and, having been told that the 120 over game is a must, to move the issue forward the executive will have to go back to the clubs to discuss the matter again. When they do they will undoubtedly take into account the words of John Brewer, who hopes that the Northern League will get on board. He says: "The Northern League have shown themselves to be a quality competition over recent years. Having dipped their toe in the water I hope that they will quickly commit themselves to achieving Premier League Status. There are many clubs in the Northern League with Premiership aspirations and I want those aspirations to be fulfilled."

In the meantime, the ECB are working towards the year 2000 when, as Frank Kemp says, "We expect to have a premier League established across all the major cricketing areas." It would perhaps be a surprise to many if Lancashire, and the Northern League in particular, one of the strongest seats of League cricket, is not amongst them.

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