Hertfordshire Cricket League
The Hertfordshire Cricket League is a league cricket competition based in the county of Hertfordshire, England. Since 2015 it has been a designated ECB Premier League, the highest level of recreational club cricket in England and Wales.
History
League cricket in Hertfordshire began in 1968 with the forming of the Hertfordshire Cricket Competition. In 1974 the leading clubs broke away from the Competition and formed the Hertfordshire Cricket League, and then in 1994 the two tournaments once again merged under the name Hertfordshire Cricket League.[1]
When the system of ECB Premier Leagues was introduced, it was decided that the Hertfordshire Cricket League together with the Cherwell Cricket League and Thames Valley Cricket League should become feeders to a newly formed Home Counties Premier Cricket League. Accordingly, between 2000 and 2013 the top Hertfordshire clubs played in that league and not in the Hertfordshire Cricket League.
Hertfordshire's relationship with the Home Counties Premier Cricket League was always uneasy, and in autumn 2013 the Hertfordshire clubs all resigned from the Home Counties Premier Cricket League (with the exception of Tring Park,[2] who had not played in the Hertfordshire Cricket League since 1981, when they switched to the Thames Valley Cricket League). The Hertfordshire clubs then returned to the Hertfordshire Cricket League, which was awarded ECB Premier League status in time for the 2015 season. In a format which was unique among the ECB Premier Leagues until it was also adopted by Lincolnshire in 2019, the championship is not decided on league performance alone; the top four in the league table then play semi-finals and a final to decide the champions.
Although most of the league's member clubs are located within the borders of the county, teams from North London and Bedfordshire are also members, and in the past there have been member clubs from Buckinghamshire and Essex as well. The league is sponsored by Saracens Rugby Football Club.
The clubs competing in the Premier Division in 2020 were due to be: Harpenden, Hertford, Hoddesdon, North Mymms, Potters Bar, Radlett, Reed, Totteridge Millhillians, Welwyn Garden City, and West Herts. The 2020 competition was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. A replacement competition was organised for the later part of the season when cricket again became possible, but with the winners not to be regarded as official league champions.
Winners
Hertfordshire Cricket Competition 1968 to 1973
-
Year Club League Champions
1968–19731968 Tring Park 1969 Berkhamsted 1970 Royston 1971 Berkhamsted 1972 Bishop's Stortford 1973 Old Finchleians
Hertfordshire Cricket League 1974 to 1999
-
Year Club League Champions
1974–19931974 Berkhamsted 1975 Hertford 1976 Hertford 1977 Hertford 1978 Hertford 1979 Hertford 1980 Watford Town 1981 Bishop's Stortford 1982 Watford Town 1983 Cheshunt 1984 Sawbridgeworth 1985 Luton Town 1986 Bishop's Stortford 1987 Bishop's Stortford 1988 Bishop's Stortford 1989 Radlett 1990 North Mymms 1991 Radlett 1992 North Mymms 1993 Luton Town -
Year Club League Champions
1994–19991994 St Albans 1995 Radlett 1996 Radlett 1997 Radlett 1998 Langleybury 1999 Hemel Hempstead Town
Between 2000 and 2013 the leading Hertfordshire clubs played in the Home Counties Premier Cricket League.
Hertfordshire Cricket League from 2014
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Year Club League Champions
2014–20212014 Radlett 2015 Radlett 2016 Welwyn Garden City 2017 Welwyn Garden City 2018 Welwyn Garden City 2019 Potters Bar 2020 COVID-19 pandemic 2021 Harpenden
Source:[1]
Performance by season from 2015
| Key | |
|---|---|
| Gold | Champions |
| Blue | Left League |
| Red | Relegated |
| Club | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop's Stortford | 6 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 10 | ||||
| Botany Bay | 9 | ||||||||
| Harpenden | 3 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 6 | 1 | |||
| Hemel Hempstead Town | 10 | ||||||||
| Hertford | 5 | 5 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 4 | |||
| Hoddesdon | 6 | ||||||||
| Letchworth Garden City | 9 | 8 | 10 | ||||||
| Luton Town and Indians | 10 | 9 | |||||||
| North Mymms | 2 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 7 | |||
| Potters Bar | 8 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 8 | |||
| Radlett | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | |||
| Reed | 10 | ||||||||
| Sawbridgeworth | 7 | 10 | |||||||
| Totteridge Millhillians | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | ||||
| Welwyn Garden City | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | |||
| West Herts | 7 | 8 | 9 | ||||||
| References | [3] | [4] | [5] | [6] | [7] | [8][a] | [9] | ||
- ^ Coronavirus pandemic forced a reduction in league activity.
References
- ^ a b Hertfordshire Premier Cricket League Hanbook 2021. Hertfordshire: Hertfordshire Premier Cricket League. 2021. p. 150.
- ^ "Hertfordshire Cricket Clubs have voted to leave the Home Counties Premier League". watfordobserver.co.uk. Watford Observer, Newsquest Media Group Ltd. 1 November 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
- ^ "ECB Premier Division - 2015".
- ^ "ECB Premier Division - 2016".
- ^ "ECB Premier Division - 2017".
- ^ "ECB Premier Division - 2018".
- ^ "ECB Premier Division - 2019".
- ^ "ECB Premier Division - 2020".
- ^ "ECB Premier Division - 2021".