Cricket: Greater Manchester Cricket League Sunday divisions

The new Greater Manchester Cricket League structure will feature promotion and relegation throughout. There will be five divisions of 10 clubs, 18 fixtures per team, nine home, nine away.

Nine new teams have signed up, including one club moving to GMCL, two clubs joining whose firsts and seconds play outside GMCL, two clubs adding a fourth team, a club playing competitive cricket for the first time last year already adding a second team and several senior clubs adding a third team to their structure.

The structure will be a Sunday Premier Division, with Divisions 1A and 1B sitting below this and then Divisions 2A and 2B below that. There will be four down from the top division, two up and two down from each of 1A and 1B and two up from each of 2A and 2B.

A spokesperson for the league said: "This competition is growing rapidly and the clubs voted for the promotion and relegation system at the recent Sunday competition meeting with no concerns over travelling on a Sunday, so there is no longer any necessity for regionalised divisions other than the opportunity for 'derby' matches and we are delighted to be able to provide this. We had hoped for four more clubs to give us six divisions of nine and we were very close to reaching this target with four clubs just not ready to commit at this moment but maybe next year. We will remain flexible for the future to give Sunday players the best competition we can provide.

"We asked clubs where they would like to be placed and we thank those who made a choice - all were reasonable and appropriate and we were able to agree and in fact make all placements requested."

The divisions for 2017 will be as follows:

Sunday Premier Division 

• Astley & Tyldesley CC Third XI
• Clifton CC Third XI
• Edgworth CC Third XI
• Greenmount CC Third XI
• Littleborough Lakeside CC Second XI
• Oldham West CC First XI
• South West Manchester CC Third XI
• Stretford CC Fourth XI
• Thornham CC Third XI
• Westhougton CC Third XI

Sunday Division 1A 

• Darcy Lever CC Third XI
• Deane & Derby Third XI
• Eagley CC Third XI
• Edenfield CC Third XI
• Elton CC Third XI
• Farnworth CC Third XI
• Farnworth Social Circle CC Third XI
• Roe Green CC Third XI
• Swinton Moorside CC Third XI
• Walshaw CC Third XI

Sunday Division 1B 

• Bury CC Third XI
• Denton CC Third XI
• Droylsden CC Third XI
• Glodwick CC Third XI
• Newton CC Third XI
• Springhead CCC Second XI
• Stand CC Third XI
• Unsworth CC Third XI
• Whalley Range CC Third XI
• Wythenshawe CC Third XI

Sunday Division2A 

• Astley Bridge CC Third XI
• Brooksbottom CC Third XI
• Egerton CC Third XI
• Greenmount Fourth XI
• Heywood CC Third XI
• Monton & Weaste CC Third XI
• Radcliffe CC Third XI
• Winton CC Third XI
• Woodbank CC Third XI
• Worsley CC Third XI

Sunday Division 2B 

• Ashton Ladysmith CC Third XI
• Blackley CC Second XI
• Denton St Lawrence Third XI
• Denton West CC Third XI
• Europa CC First XI
• Failsworth Macedonia CC Second XI
• Friends Sporting Club Second XI
• South West Manchester CC Fourth XI
• Stretford CC Third XI
• Woodhouses CC Third XI

The Sunday cup competitions are still be finalised, which will replace the 'third XI' cup.

Enquiries to:

 GtrMcrCricket@mail.com