South Wilts - popular Minor Counties venue
The Minor Counties, whose ranks include Dorset and Wiltshire, and who play games at Bashley (Rydal), Bournemouth and South Wilts, are to change their name to the National Counties Cricket Association in 2020.
There will be slightly less three-day cricket, but there will be automatic promotion and relegation within the current Western and Eastern Divisions. The 10-team divisions will split to two groups of five in a series of changes to the county game at its second tier.
It will also mean a drop in three-day matches from six to four per season, while offering an increase in Twenty20 games.
The main changes -
• Automatic promotion and relegation in the Minor Counties Championship.
• Two five-team groups in both Western and Eastern Divisions.
• The fifth county in each regional First Division to be relegated and replaced by the respective Division Two winners.
• A reduction from six three-day games per season to four games.
• The MCCA final would now be between the Division One East and Division One West winners.
• An increase in the number of matches in the 50-over Minor Counties Trophy, by reverting from a straight knockout tournament to the old group format with quarter-finals and semi-finals. Counties would be guaranteed at least two home 50-over matches.
• The Minor Counties T20, which was successfully re-introduced in 2018, would be retained with four groups of five - different ones to the Trophy - with the group winners progressing straight to Finals Day.
• The three Minor Counties competitions are expected to be played in blocks throughout the season. It has been proposed that the Trophy would be at the start of the season, followed by the T20 in the middle, then the three-day competition at the end.
There will be slightly less three-day cricket, but there will be automatic promotion and relegation within the current Western and Eastern Divisions. The 10-team divisions will split to two groups of five in a series of changes to the county game at its second tier.
It will also mean a drop in three-day matches from six to four per season, while offering an increase in Twenty20 games.
The main changes -
• Automatic promotion and relegation in the Minor Counties Championship.
• Two five-team groups in both Western and Eastern Divisions.
• The fifth county in each regional First Division to be relegated and replaced by the respective Division Two winners.
• A reduction from six three-day games per season to four games.
• The MCCA final would now be between the Division One East and Division One West winners.
• An increase in the number of matches in the 50-over Minor Counties Trophy, by reverting from a straight knockout tournament to the old group format with quarter-finals and semi-finals. Counties would be guaranteed at least two home 50-over matches.
• The Minor Counties T20, which was successfully re-introduced in 2018, would be retained with four groups of five - different ones to the Trophy - with the group winners progressing straight to Finals Day.
• The three Minor Counties competitions are expected to be played in blocks throughout the season. It has been proposed that the Trophy would be at the start of the season, followed by the T20 in the middle, then the three-day competition at the end.
