The Sussex County League have become the latest south coast league to reveal new plans for the 2020 season.
The Hampshire League previously announced that it will look to play friendlies only if Covid-19 ensured no league games could be played by the end of June. If that was the case, there would be no promotion and relegation.
The Sussex League – which has superseded the HCL as the biggest one of its kind in the United Kingdom, if not around the world - have taken a slightly different approach, stating the second Saturday of July is their cut-off point for competitive matches to be played by. If the league can start on July 11 and teams can play each other once only, there will be normal promotion and relegation. A Sussex League statement said they will cancel all fixtures for May if they decide on Good Friday, April 10, that the season cannot begin on time on Saturday, May 2 - a week earlier than the 17-division Hampshire Cricket League is due to start.
Playing each other once ?
‘This would allow us time to see how things develop and place us in a position to make further informed decisions,’ a statement said. ‘If it becomes apparent that we will be unable to resume cricket by the beginning of June, we will work on the basis of cancelling all fixtures for the first half of the season and playing the second half.
‘This would effectively mean beginning the league season on 11th July, with all teams playing each other once.
‘In the top two divisions, all matches would be limited overs rather than declaration. We see this as the last stage at which the league can be treated as competitive with promotion and relegation implications. Any start after this date would need to be discussed if we get to it. The advantage of invoking this stage would be that we buy some more time to assess the situation as we move through early summer.
Epidemic
‘These stages are not set in stone, but they give us a reasonable template for action, with flexibility built in, to amend if circumstances dictate or allow. We believe this plan gives us the time to consider each phase of the epidemic as it progresses, make decisions based on fact and is, at present, a structured approach to the current unprecedented situation.’
In all, the Sussex League boasts a remarkable 35 divisions, culminating in the ECB Premier League at the apex of the pyramid with 34 leagues below. Bognor Regis, Chichester Priory Park, Pagham and Stirlands play in the SCL.
The Hampshire League previously announced that it will look to play friendlies only if Covid-19 ensured no league games could be played by the end of June. If that was the case, there would be no promotion and relegation.
The Sussex League – which has superseded the HCL as the biggest one of its kind in the United Kingdom, if not around the world - have taken a slightly different approach, stating the second Saturday of July is their cut-off point for competitive matches to be played by. If the league can start on July 11 and teams can play each other once only, there will be normal promotion and relegation. A Sussex League statement said they will cancel all fixtures for May if they decide on Good Friday, April 10, that the season cannot begin on time on Saturday, May 2 - a week earlier than the 17-division Hampshire Cricket League is due to start.
Playing each other once ?
‘This would allow us time to see how things develop and place us in a position to make further informed decisions,’ a statement said. ‘If it becomes apparent that we will be unable to resume cricket by the beginning of June, we will work on the basis of cancelling all fixtures for the first half of the season and playing the second half.
‘This would effectively mean beginning the league season on 11th July, with all teams playing each other once.
‘In the top two divisions, all matches would be limited overs rather than declaration. We see this as the last stage at which the league can be treated as competitive with promotion and relegation implications. Any start after this date would need to be discussed if we get to it. The advantage of invoking this stage would be that we buy some more time to assess the situation as we move through early summer.
Epidemic
‘These stages are not set in stone, but they give us a reasonable template for action, with flexibility built in, to amend if circumstances dictate or allow. We believe this plan gives us the time to consider each phase of the epidemic as it progresses, make decisions based on fact and is, at present, a structured approach to the current unprecedented situation.’
In all, the Sussex League boasts a remarkable 35 divisions, culminating in the ECB Premier League at the apex of the pyramid with 34 leagues below. Bognor Regis, Chichester Priory Park, Pagham and Stirlands play in the SCL.