Worcestershire County Cricket League

The Worcestershire County Cricket League (WCL) is an English club cricket league, and consists of club teams primarily from Worcestershire, as well as several other clubs from bordering counties Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire and Warwickshire.

History

The Worcestershire County Cricket League was created in 1999 as part of the new 'pyramid system' in English club cricket, and acts as a feeder league to the Birmingham and District Premier League. It was formed mainly as a merger between the old Worcestershire Clubs' League and the Autobag/Plumb Centre League. Other clubs came from the Midland Combined Counties League, the 3D Cricket PLJ League, and in the case of Herefordshire sides, the Marches Cricket League and the Willowsticks Three Counties Cricket League.

There is promotion and relegation and most divisions of the league operate on a two up/two down basis, although the feeder league status means that more than two sides may be relegated from the Premier Division, with knock-on effects on other divisions, if one or more Worcestershire or Herefordshire side is relegated from Birmingham League Division 1. Other exceptions to this are in the Premier Division (where the winner is only promoted to the Birmingham and District Premier League if they finish in the top 2 out of the 4 feeder league champions, after a round-robin competition between the 4 sides at the end of the season), and in the three regional Division 11 divisions (no relegation).

Winners of Division 1 of the Worcestershire County Cricket League, who have been promoted to the Birmingham and District Premier League, since 1999 are:

  • 1999: Hagley
  • 2000: Redditch
  • 2001: Kington
  • 2002: Old Elizabethans
  • 2003: Evesham
  • 2004: Pershore
  • 2005: Ombersley
  • 2006: Kington
  • 2007: Brockhampton
  • 2008: Eastnor
  • 2009: Pershore
  • 2010: Barnards Green
  • 2011: Stourbridge
  • 2012: Worcester Nomads
  • 2013: Astwood Bank
  • 2014: Worcester
  • 2015: Pershore
  • 2016: Worcester Nomads
  • 2017: Redditch
  • 2018: Bewdley*
  • 2019: Astwood Bank (not promoted after finishing 3rd in Birmingham League playoffs)


  • In 2018 there was no promotion from any of the four county feeder leagues due to the restructuring of the Birmingham & District Premier League.

From 2019 onwards the winners of the Worcestershire County League's new Premier Division go into a round-robin playoff at the end of the season with the winners of the Shropshire, Staffordshire and Warwickshire leagues, with the top two sides out of the four being promoted to the Birmingham & District Premier League.

Divisional structure

From 1999 until 2018 from Division 1 down to Division 4 there were separate 2nd XI Divisions, with the 4th XI of those sides whose 3rd XIs played in the league competing against other clubs' 2nd XIs. From 2006, Division 1 and 2 2nd XIs were promoted and relegated independently of their 1st XIs (and 4th XIs could be promoted or relegated independently of their 3rd XIs), from 2007 the same applied to Division 3, and from 2014 this also applied to Division 4. Clubs could only be promoted from Division 5 if they were able to field two XIs in the following season, and there was a space available in Division 4.

For the 2019 season the league has adopted a 'linear structure' so that 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th XIs will all be part of the same 'ladder system', and theoretically a 2nd, 3rd or 4th XI will be able to be promoted as far as the new WCL Premier Division (one division below the Birmingham and District Premier League).

At the end of the 2018 season the league also absorbed six 1st XIs that were relegated out of the Birmingham and District Premier League due to the league downsizing from 48 to 24 clubs, as well as 14 2nd XIs, due to the B&DPCL no longer holding a 2nd XI competition from 2019 onwards. The 1st XIs to be relegated were Astwood Bank, Old Elizabethans, Old Hill, Pershore, Redditch and Stourbridge. The 2nd XIs that were absorbed by the WCL were Astwood Bank, Barnards Green, Barnt Green, Brockhampton, Bromsgrove, Halesowen, Himley, Kidderminster, Old Elizabethans, Old Hill, Ombersley, Pershore, Redditch, and Stourbridge.

For 2019 the Worcestershire County Cricket League will be made up of the following divisions and clubs:

Premier Division
  • Astwood Bank 1st XI
  • Bewdley 1st XI
  • Chaddesley Corbett 1st XI
  • Evesham 1st XI
  • Feckenham 1st XI
  • Old Elizabethans 1st XI
  • Old Hill 1st XI
  • Pershore 1st XI
  • Redditch 1st XI
  • Stourbridge 1st XI
  • Stourport-on-Severn 1st XI
  • Worcester 1st XI

Division 1
  • Belbroughton 1st XI
  • Bredon 1st XI
  • Bromyard 1st XI
  • Burghill, Tillington & Weobley 1st XI
  • Colwall 1st XI
  • Cookley 1st XI
  • Coombs Wood 1st XI
  • Droitwich Spa 1st XI
  • Hagley 1st XI
  • Oldswinford & Stourbridge Social 1st XI
  • Pedmore 1st XI
  • Worcester Nomads 1st XI

Division 2
  • Astwood Bank 2nd XI
  • Barnt Green 2nd XI
  • Bartestree & Lugwardine 1st XI
  • Brockhampton 2nd XI
  • Bromsgrove 2nd XI
  • Enville 1st XI
  • Halesowen 2nd XI
  • Himbleton 1st XI
  • Himley 2nd XI
  • Kidderminster 2nd XI
  • Lye 1st XI
  • Ombersley 2nd XI

Division 3
  • Avoncroft 1st XI
  • Barnards Green 2nd XI
  • Kempsey 1st XI
  • Martley 1st XI
  • Old Elizabethans 2nd XI
  • Old Hill 2nd XI
  • Old Vigornians 1st XI
  • Netherton 1st XI
  • Pershore 2nd XI
  • Redditch 2nd XI
  • Rushwick 1st XI
  • Stourbridge 2nd XI

Division 4
  • Alvechurch & Hopwood 1st XI
  • Astwood Bank 3rd XI
  • Bewdley 2nd XI
  • Bromsgrove 3rd XI
  • Coombs Wood 2nd XI
  • Eastnor 1st XI
  • Five Ways Old Edwardians 1st XI
  • Halesowen 3rd XI
  • Harborne 3rd XI
  • Romsley & Hunnington 1st XI
  • Stourport-on-Severn 2nd XI
  • Worcester 2nd XI

Division 5
  • Chaddesley Corbett 2nd XI
  • Claverley 1st XI
  • Colwall 2nd XI
  • Droitwich Spa 2nd XI
  • Feckenham 2nd XI
  • Hagley 2nd XI
  • Hanley Castle & Upton 1st XI
  • Lye 2nd XI
  • Malvern 1st XI
  • Netherton 2nd XI
  • West Malvern 1st XI
  • Worcester Nomads 2nd XI

Division 6
  • Alveley 1st XI
  • Belbroughton 2nd XI
  • Cookley 2nd XI
  • Enville 2nd XI
  • Evesham 2nd XI
  • Hallow Taverners 1st XI
  • Harborne 4th XI
  • Kidderminster 3rd XI
  • Oldswinford & Stourbridge Social 2nd XI
  • Old Vigornians 2nd XI
  • Pedmore 2nd XI
  • Stourbridge 3rd XI

Division 7

Division 8
  • Alvechurch & Hopwood 2nd XI
  • Astwood Bank 4th XI
  • Avoncroft 2nd XI
  • Birlingham
  • Bredon 2nd XI
  • Burghill, Tillington & Weobley 2nd XI
  • Claverley 2nd XI
  • Cleobury Mortimer
  • Eastnor 2nd XI
  • Kempsey 2nd XI
  • Martley 2nd XI
  • Wyre Foresters

Division 9
  • Alveley 2nd XI
  • Droitwich Spa 3rd XI
  • Five Ways Old Edwardians 2nd XI
  • Himbleton 2nd XI
  • Himley 4th XI
  • Old Elizabethans 3rd XI
  • Ombersley 3rd XI
  • Romsley & Hunnington 2nd XI
  • Stourbridge 4th XI
  • Tenbury Wells 1st XI
  • West Malvern 2nd XI
  • Worcester 3rd XI

Division 10
  • Cookhill
  • Hagley 3rd XI
  • Halesowen 4th XI
  • Hallow Taverners 2nd XI
  • Hanley Castle & Upton 2nd XI
  • Harborne 5th XI
  • Malvern 2nd XI
  • Pershore 3rd XI
  • Redditch 3rd XI
  • Stone

Division 11
  • Belbroughton 3rd XI
  • Bewdley 3rd XI
  • Chaddesley Corbett 3rd XI
  • Droitwich Spa 4th XI
  • Enville 3rd XI
  • Harborne 6th XI
  • Netherton 3rd XI
  • Old Elizabethans 4th XI
  • Old Halesonians

Division 12 North
  • Cookley 3rd XI
  • Coombs Wood 3rd XI
  • Enville 4th XI
  • Himley 5th XI
  • Oldswinford & Stourbridge Social 3rd XI
  • Pedmore 3rd XI

Division 12 South East
  • Bredon 3rd XI
  • Evesham 3rd XI
  • Feckenham 3rd XI
  • Five Ways Old Edwardians 3rd XI
  • Redditch 4th XI
  • Worcester 4th XI

Division 12 South West
  • Barnards Green 3rd XI
  • Bromyard 3rd XI
  • Rushwick 3rd XI
  • Stourport-on-Severn 4th XI
  • Tenbury Wells 2nd XI
  • Worcester Nomads 3rd XI

Clubs from different counties

For the 2019 season 63 different clubs will have sides in the league. As well as 49 Worcestershire clubs, there are 6 clubs from Herefordshire (Bartestree & Lugwardine, Brockhampton, Bromyard, Burghill, Tillington & Weobley, Colwall, Eastnor), 4 from Shropshire (Alveley, Claverley, Cleobury Mortimer, Highley), 3 from Staffordshire (Enville, Himley, Old Hill), and 1 from Warwickshire (Harborne) in the league.

Famous players

76 First-Class and List A cricketers have played in the Worcestershire County Cricket League, including 15 internationals:

Internationals, and club represented

England

  • Steve Davies Victoria & Blakeley Hall (later merged with Kidderminster to form Kidderminster Victoria CC from 2003-2015)
  • Phil Newport Worcester Nomads
  • Neal Radford Evesham

New Zealand

West Indies

Pakistan

Sri Lanka

Zimbabwe

Scotland

Other First Class and List A players, and club(s) represented

England

Australia

South Africa

  • Andre (Leon) Botha Pershore
  • Wesley Euley Droitwich Spa
  • Calvin Flowers Ombersley
  • Lundi Mbane Bromyard
  • Dillon Stanley Worcester Nomads

West Indies

New Zealand

  • Jonothon Boult Barnards Green, Bewdley, Droitwich Spa
  • Barry Rhodes Bromyard

India

  • Neeraj Chawla Coombs Wood
  • Sachin Khartade Worcester Nomads
  • Shashi Ranjan Alvechurch & Hopwood
  • Gagandeep Singh Redditch

Pakistan

Sri Lanka

Zimbabwe

Namibia

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