Cheshire County Cricket League’s busy AGM (From Messenger Newspapers)

Cheshire County Cricket League’s busy AGM

12:41pm Monday 21st January 2013 in Sport

THERE is a packed agenda for clubs in the Cheshire County Cricket League to deal with at their annual meeting, to be staged at Bowdon Cricket Club on Wednesday this week.

The main item is the planned revamp of the RedInsure T20 Knock out competition which will involve scrapping the Plate, a consolation tournament.

The 36 member clubs will be asked to approve a plan to split into nine groups of four, each playing three mid-week games from early May to late June, to decide which eight go forward to the quarter-finals in early July. The semi-finals and final will then be staged on a Finals Day at Timperley on Sunday, July 28th.

The winners at Timperley will go through to host the ECB t20 Area finals two weeks later against the winners from the Birmingham, North Staffs and North Wales Premier Leagues. This will be followed by the Regional final, then the National Finals on a first class county ground in September, to be covered live by Sky.

Minor changes in the points modifications introduced in 2012 are also to be voted on, with batting bonus points to kick in earlier, while a new graded draw points system could be introduced.

Elibility of players for Sunday Third XI cricket is likely to be relaxed.

Clubs will be asked to take at least three tickets for the annual presentation dinner, or pay a fine of up to £90.

Treasurer Andy Woods is expected to recommend that club subscriptions remain unchanged for the 18th successive season.

Also on the agenda is a proposal to instal England Under 60s batsman Ian Brown as League president in succession to Stan Davies. Ian, 63, a Manchester lawyer, has played for Cheadle Hulme in every season since the league was founded in 1975.

Warrington’s Brian Boys is being proposed at vice chairman to replace John Bygate, who stands down. Cheshire and Chester batsman Lee Dixon is putting up for a vacancy on the Cricket Committee.

Mike Carswell, of Cheadle will succeed Hash Maitra as chairman of the Junior section.. All other officers are offering themselves for re-election.

Chairman David Humpage plans to renew the league’s appeal for a new main sponsor to replace Stockport-based printers Chapel Press, who have withdrawn after four years.