Planned shake-up in Sussex hits snag

A MAJOR restructure of the Sussex Premier Cricket League planned for the 2017 season has been delayed after clubs raised concerns over the plans.

The league’s eight divisions, broken up into four first XI and four second XI tables, was going to be changed to ten leagues of six teams, mixing the first and second teams up.

The bottom teams, ranked 61-80, would move into the West Sussex and East Sussex feeder leagues under a preagreed pattern.

Concerns raised by clubs have put a halt to the restructure, however, and the 20 teams set to be moved into feeder leagues could be placed into new two divisions called Division 6 East and West.

League chairman Bob Warren said: “The Sussex Premier Cricket League Executive Committee acknowledges the concerns voiced by a number of member clubs in respect of the changes of the 2017 league structure and has decided to delay the reorganisation of league cricket in Sussex.

“In the meantime we have to decide what we are going to do with the 20 teams, who would have been moving to the feeder leagues.

“As all our clubs are playing this season with the proposed league construction for 2017 in mind. It would seem, therefore, to be wrong to alter the free-flowing structure we have in place for 2017.

“The simplest solution would be for us to place those 20 teams in new divisions called Divisions 6 East and 6 West. This solution would satisfy another of the results of the Players’ Surveys’ of shorter travelling time in lower divisions.”

A league meeting set for September 19 will enable clubs to discuss potential solutions.