Birmingham and District Premier League
The Birmingham & District Premier Cricket League is the oldest club cricket league in the United Kingdom, formed in 1888.[1] It was the first ECB Premier League, being designated such in 1998, and is one of the strongest of the ECB Premier Leagues.
Geography[]
The Birmingham League traditionally covered North Worcestershire, South Staffordshire and North Warwickshire, much of which is now the conurbation of the West Midlands. Since 1998, with the introduction of the ECB Premier Leagues, the pyramid system, and feeder leagues in the four counties (Shropshire Premier Cricket League, Staffordshire Club Cricket Championship, Warwickshire Cricket League and Worcestershire County Cricket League), the catchment of the league has spread to include the whole of Shropshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire, as well as a large part of Staffordshire, although North Staffordshire clubs play in the North Staffordshire and South Cheshire League. Herefordshire clubs, who play in the Worcestershire County Cricket League, can also be promoted into the league.
History[]
The Birmingham and District Cricket League is the oldest club competition in the United Kingdom, beginning league matches in 1888. The Birmingham and District Cricket Association had actually formed eight years earlier in 1880, but only ran a successful, if not controversial, cup competition for those first few years. On Friday 30 November 1888, representatives from local cricket clubs gathered at the Queen's Arms Hotel, , Birmingham and went about setting up the first Club Cricket League in the UK, being inspired by the success The Birmingham County Football Association had had in organising local football competition and fixtures. With some representatives needing to consult their own committees before pledging their commitment to the league, and one or two prominent local clubs not being present, it was not until a second meeting on Friday 14 December 1888 that the league was actually, officially formed. There were initially seven clubs who decided to trial the league format the following season. They were:
- Kings Heath
- Mitchells
- Walsall
- West Bromwich Dartmouth
Those early days saw many changes in the league's club make-up:
Kings Heath moved to "The Reddings" Ground, joining with Moseley Cricket Club (and taking on that name). Another was formed later, but never became part of the Birmingham League set-up until the restructuring of Midlands Club cricket in 1998. who played in , West Bromwich, and originated from the Spring Works of the same name, resigned from the league after just one season. In 1890, joined the league. In 1891, Smethwick Cricket Club, who had been involved in the Birmingham and District Cricket Association Cup competition in the 1880s, entered the league. Mitchells Cricket Club left the league between 1892 and 1896, due to some friction surrounding ineligible players, but shortly after they returned, they became Mitchells and Butlers Cricket Club when the two breweries amalgamated in 1898. In 1892, joined the league and although their ground was amongst the best in the competition, the club was out of its depth in other aspects, and they resigned from the league 3 years later. In 1894, Warwickshire County Cricket Club entered the league after years of deliberation, but withdrew again in 1895 after being admitted to the County Championship. Over the next few years, the league's influence moved to the west, with joining the League in 1893, Stourbridge in 1894 and Kidderminster in 1895. who had performed creditably in the league until their Browne's Green ground was acquired by developers shortly after the First World War, spent one season playing at the County Ground, Edgbaston, but when no new ground could be found the following season either, they lost a narrow motion by the league (by one vote), and Old Hill Cricket Club replaced them in 1920. The folded shortly afterwards, handing their cash balance over to the league benevolent fund.
The second XI competition, perhaps stronger than any of the lower level 1st XI competitions which existed in the region until the restructuring of 1998, was formed in 1893.
The league was suspended for the First World War between 1914 and 1918, but continued to play through the Second World War, and the League, now comprising 10 clubs (, , Kidderminster, Mitchells and Butlers, Moseley, Old Hill, Smethwick, Stourbridge, Walsall, West Bromwich Dartmouth), stayed the same until 1975. In 1975, the league expanded again as Warwickshire and Worcestershire decided the strength of the league could be utilised. Warwickshire entered a 1st and 2nd XI (basically a 1st/2nd team side and a 2nd/colts side), whilst Worcestershire only entered a 1st XI and (A Dudley-based Furniture making company club) played their 2nd XI fixtures. Whilst Warwickshire established themselves in the competition and won it on a few occasions, Worcestershire struggled, and two years later, took on their 1st XI fixtures too, as they were forced to pull out of the league. also struggled with the on-field standards, and when support from the company's Social Club was reduced they too were forced to pull out of the competition, and were replaced by another Worcester-based side in 1982, . Many other changes took place in the league throughout the 1980s and 1990s, and they are summarised below:
Year | Outgoing Club | Reason | Incoming Club |
---|---|---|---|
1977 | Worcestershire | Struggled to field sides due to small County staff | |
1982 | Works Social Club decreased funding and club struggled with the standard of cricket | ||
1985 | Ground caved in and club was forced to fold | Coventry and North Warwicks | |
1990 | Warwickshire | Struggled to commit to League cricket with increased County 2nd XI programme | |
1992 | Club folded | ||
1995 | Mitchells and Butlers | Brewery decided to sell off ground so club folded | Barnt Green |
In 1998 the Birmingham League included Promotion & relegation for the first time. The 12 teams of the Birmingham League formed the Premier Division, The 2 other big leagues (Midlands Combined Counties League & Midlands Club Cricket League) formed the lower divisions. Teams increased over time to 48 (4 1st XI divisions of 12 clubs: Premier, Division 1, Division 2 and Division 3, with accompanying 2nd XI divisions: Premier, Division 1, Division 2 West and Division 2 East). In 2017, under pressure from the ECB, the league's clubs voted to cut the league down to 2 divisions of 12 by 2019, and disband the 2nd XI competition.
ECB Premier League[]
Since being designated an ECB Premier League in 1998 (the first Premier Cricket League in the Country), several changes have occurred in the league's structure. Initially, the 12 clubs in the old Birmingham League made up the Premier Division, and a First Division, Second Division East and Second Division West were made up from clubs in the old Midlands Combined Counties League, the Worcestershire League, the Warwickshire League and the Staffs League. The Second Division East and Second Division West were later replaced by a Second Division and a Third Division.
Only one club was promoted in the first year of the new structure, which was while , a founder member of the league, were the first club to be relegated. Since 1999, two clubs have been relegated and two promoted each season.
Following the 2018 season the Second and Third divisions were abolished, along with all four 2nd XI divisions, and the league was reduced to two divisions. The relegated 1st and 2nd XIs now compete in the four West Midland county feeder leagues.
The winners of the four feeder leagues now enter a ‘round robin’ playoff at the end of each season with the top two teams being promoted (replacing the two relegated sides from Premier Division Two) and the bottom two going back to their feeder leagues.
The 2020 competition was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. A replacement competition was arranged for the later part of the season when cricket again became possible, but with its winners not to be regarded as official league champions.
Clubs for 2022[]
For the 2022 season, the clubs in Premier Division One are: Barnt Green, Berkswell, Halesowen, Kenilworth Wardens, Kidderminster, Knowle & Dorridge, Leamington Spa, Moseley, Ombersley, Shifnal, Shrewsbury, Smethwick.
The clubs in Premier Division Two are: Barnards Green, Bridgnorth, Bromsgrove, Dorridge, Harborne, Himley, Lichfield, Walsall, Wem, West Bromwich Dartmouth, Wolverhampton, Worfield.
Across the two divisions, the league currently includes:
7 Warwickshire clubs (Berkswell, Dorridge, Harborne, Kenilworth Wardens, Knowle & Dorridge, Leamington Spa, Moseley)
6 Staffordshire clubs (Himley, Lichfield, Smethwick, Walsall, West Bromwich Dartmouth, Wolverhampton)
6 Worcestershire clubs (Barnards Green, Barnt Green, Bromsgrove, Halesowen, Kidderminster, Ombersley)
5 Shropshire clubs (Bridgnorth, Shifnal, Shrewsbury, Wem, Worfield).
Winners[]
-
Year Champions 1889 1890 Moseley and West Bromwich Dartmouth* 1891 Moseley 1892 1893 Walsall 1894 1895 Moseley 1896 Walsall and * 1897 1898 1899 Kidderminster 1900 1901 Kidderminster 1902 1903 1904 Moseley 1905 and * 1906 1907 Moseley 1908 Moseley -
Year Champions 1909 Moseley and Mitchells and Butlers* 1910 and * 1911 Mitchells and Butlers 1912 Walsall 1913 1914 Mitchells and Butlers 1915 League suspended 1916 League suspended 1917 League suspended 1918 League suspended 1919 Stourbridge 1920 Moseley 1921 Old Hill 1922 Walsall 1923 Moseley 1924 Kidderminster 1925 Mitchells and Butlers 1926 Mitchells and Butlers 1927 1928 Mitchells and Butlers -
Year Champions 1929 Kidderminster 1930 West Bromwich Dartmouth 1931 Mitchells and Butlers 1932 West Bromwich Dartmouth 1933 West Bromwich Dartmouth and Walsall* 1934 West Bromwich Dartmouth 1935 Walsall 1936 Walsall 1937 Walsall 1938 Moseley 1939 and Mitchells and Butlers 1940 Old Hill 1941 West Bromwich Dartmouth 1942 West Bromwich Dartmouth 1943 West Bromwich Dartmouth 1944 West Bromwich Dartmouth 1945 West Bromwich Dartmouth 1946 Kidderminster 1947 Mitchells and Butlers 1948 West Bromwich Dartmouth -
Year Champions 1949 1950 Kidderminster 1951 Smethwick 1952 1953 West Bromwich Dartmouth 1954 Mitchells and Butlers 1955 West Bromwich Dartmouth 1956 Moseley 1957 1958 West Bromwich Dartmouth 1959 Moseley 1960 Old Hill 1961 Moseley 1962 Kidderminster 1963 Moseley 1964 Moseley 1965 West Bromwich Dartmouth 1966 Kidderminster and Walsall* 1967 Moseley 1968 Smethwick -
Year Champions 1969 Moseley 1970 Moseley 1971 West Bromwich Dartmouth 1972 Walsall 1973 Kidderminster and Moseley 1974 West Bromwich Dartmouth 1975 Kidderminster 1976 Walsall 1977 1978 Warwickshire 1979 Warwickshire 1980 Walsall 1981 1982 Walsall 1983 Old Hill 1984 Moseley 1985 Moseley 1986 Walsall 1987 Stourbridge 1988 Warwickshire -
Year Champions 1989 Stourbridge 1990 1991 Coventry and North Warwickshire 1992 Walsall 1993 West Bromwich Dartmouth 1994 Walsall 1995 Barnt Green 1996 Walsall 1997 Barnt Green 1998 1999 Walsall 2000 2001 2002 Halesowen 2003 Wellington 2004 Wellington 2005 Barnt Green 2006 Walsall 2007 Walsall 2008 Walsall -
Year Champions 2009 Knowle and Dorridge 2010 Shrewsbury 2011 Barnt Green 2012 Walsall 2013 Shrewsbury 2014 West Bromwich Dartmouth 2015 Shrewsbury 2016 2017 Knowle and Dorridge 2018 2019 2020 League suspended 2021
- * – denotes a shared title
Championships won[]
-
Clubs still in the League Wins Club 18 Moseley[a] Walsall[b] 17 West Bromwich Dartmouth[c] 8 Kidderminster[d] 4 Barnt Green 4 Berkswell 3 Shrewsbury 2 Knowle & Dorridge 2 Smethwick 2 Wolverhampton 1 Halesowen -
Clubs no longer in the League Wins Club 8 Mitchells & Butlers[e] 6 Aston Unity[f] Dudley[g] 4 Handsworth Wood[h] Old Hill 3 Stourbridge Warwickshire 2 Wellington 1 Cannock Coventry & North Warwickshire Stratford upon Avon
- ^ Moseley have had 3 shared titles.
- ^ Walsall have had 3 shared titles.
- ^ West Bromwich Dartmouth have had 2 shared titles.
- ^ Kidderminster have had 2 shared titles.
- ^ Mitchells & Butlers have had 2 shared titles.
- ^ Aston Unity have had 3 shared titles.
- ^ Dudley have had 2 shared titles.
- ^ Handsworth Wood have had 1 shared title.
Performance by season from 1998[]
Key | |
---|---|
Gold | Champions |
Red | Relegated |
Blue | Left League |
Club | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aston Unity | 12 | 9 | 12 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Barnt Green | 4 | ? | 7 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 5 | |
Berkswell | 4 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
Brockhampton | 7 | 2 | 7 | 11 | 12 | |||||||||||||||||||
Bromsgrove | 12 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Cannock | ? | 1 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||
Coventry & North Warwicks | 8 | ? | 6 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 12 | ||||||||||||||
Dorridge | 6 | 12 | 7 | 9 | 11 | |||||||||||||||||||
Halesowen | 4 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||
Harborne | 11 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Himley | 2 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 12 | |||||||||||
Kenilworth Wardens | 5 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 10 | 12 | ||||||||||||
Kidderminster[a] | 10 | ? | 8 | 12 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 7 | 3 | ||||||
Knowle and Dorridge | 4 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 | ||||
Leamington | 12 | 10 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
Moseley | 5 | ? | 3 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 6 | 8 | 8 | |||||||||
Old Hill | 9 | ? | 5 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 11 | |||||||||||||||
Ombersley | 6 | 6 | 4 | 11 | 10 | |||||||||||||||||||
Shifnal | 4 | 12 | 4 | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Shrewsbury | 12 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 6 | ||||||||||
Smethwick | 11 | ? | 12 | 8 | 12 | 4 | 9 | 9 | ||||||||||||||||
Stourbridge | 7 | ? | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Stratford upon Avon | 6 | ? | 2 | 1 | 11 | |||||||||||||||||||
Walmley | 8 | 6 | 3 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 11 | ||||||||||||||||
Walsall | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 11 | ||
Water Orton | 11 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Wellington | 1 | 1 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 12 | ||||||||||||||||
West Bromwich Dartmouth | 3 | ? | 9 | 11 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 10 | 12 | |||||
Wolverhampton | 1 | ? | 10 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 12 | ||||||||
Wombourne | 12 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
References | [2] | [3] | [4] | [5] | [6] | [7] | [8] | [9] | [10] | [11] | [12] | [13] | [14] | [15] | [16] | [17] | [18] | [19] | [20] | [21] | [22] | [23][b] | [24] |
1000 runs in a season[]
Although there have been many notable feats throughout the league's history, one of the most difficult achievements for a batsman is to score over 1000 runs in a club league season. Only fourteen players have ever managed it in the top division of the Birmingham League, one of them twice:
Player | Club | Year | Runs |
---|---|---|---|
Alan Townsend | Mitchells and Butlers | 1961 | 1106 |
Alan Townsend | Mitchells and Butlers | 1970 | 1008 |
Colin Price | 1975 | 1093 | |
Graham Yallop | Walsall | 1975 | 1152 |
Doug Slade | West Bromwich Dartmouth | 1978 | 1407 |
Graeme Hick | Kidderminster | 1984 | 1234 |
Ian Stokes | Moseley | 1984 | 1236 |
Steven Dean | Walsall | 1993 | 1166 |
Jonathan Wright | Old Hill | 1993 | 1006 |
Andy Flower | West Bromwich Dartmouth | 1995 | 1018 |
Grant Flower | Barnt Green | 1995 | 1024 |
1996 | 1072 | ||
Kadeer Ali | West Bromwich Dartmouth | 2015 | 1079 |
Alex Keath | Knowle and Dorridge | 2015 | 1036 |
George Worker | Knowle and Dorridge | 2017 | 1569 |
National Knockout[]
The Birmingham and District Cricket League's strength as a competition has been proven throughout the years, by the presence of its clubs in the latter stages of the ECB National Club Cricket Championship (a cup Competition for all Clubs in the UK). Here are a list of clubs in the league structure who have won or been runners-up in the competition:
Club | Year | Opponents | Winners/Runners-up |
---|---|---|---|
1973 | The Mote (Kent) | Winners | |
Moseley | 1980 | Gosport Borough (Hampshire) | Winners |
Shrewsbury | 1983 | (Sussex) | Winners |
Old Hill | 1984 | Bishop's Stortford (Hertfordshire) | Winners |
Old Hill | 1985 | Reading (Berkshire) | Winners |
Stourbridge | 1986 | Weston-super-Mare (Somerset) | Winners |
Old Hill | 1987 | Teddington (Middlesex) | Winners |
1988 | Enfield (Middlesex) | Runners-up | |
Old Hill | 1989 | Teddington (Middlesex) | Runners-up(replay) |
Walsall | 1991 | Teddington (Middlesex) | Runners-up |
Old Hill | 1993 | West Bromwich Dartmouth (Staffordshire) | Winners |
West Bromwich Dartmouth | 1993 | Old Hill (Staffordshire) | Runners-up |
Walsall | 1996 | Chorley (Lancashire)and | Winners |
1999 | Teddington (Middlesex) | Winners | |
Barnt Green | 2002 | Saffron Walden (Essex) | Runners-up |
Barnt Green | 2005 | Horsham (Sussex) | Runners-up |
Shrewsbury | 2011 | (Cambridgeshire) | Winners |
Famous players, and B&DPCL Club(s) represented[]
Many well known international players have played in the Birmingham League over the years:
England Players[]
|
|
|
|
Overseas players[]
ICC Full Member Nations[]
Australia
- Greg Matthews Old Hill
- Tom Moody
- Simon O'Donnell
- Chris Rogers Wellington
- Steve Waugh Smethwick
- Graham Yallop Walsall
South Africa
- Peter Carlstein Old Hill
- Allan Donald Knowle & Dorridge
- Clive Eksteen
- JP Fellows-Smith West Bromwich Dartmouth
- Anthonie Ferreira (Unofficial)
- Claude Henderson
- Ryan McLaren Knowle & Dorridge
- Brian McMillan
- Senuran Muthusamy Brockhampton
- Hugh Page (Unofficial)
- Sid Pegler
- Roy Pienaar Kidderminster
- Dewald Pretorius Moseley
- Mike Rindel Smethwick, West Bromwich Dartmouth
- Herbie Taylor
- Thami Tsolekile Coventry & North Warwickshire
West Indies
- Fabian Allen Worcester
- Colin Croft
- George Headley
- Ron Headley Dudley, Old Hill, Stourbridge
- Vanburn Holder West Bromwich Dartmouth
- Alvin Kallicharan
- Collis King
- Frank King West Bromwich Dartmouth
- Lincoln Roberts Himley
- Alfred Scott West Bromwich Dartmouth
- Phil Simmons Wellington
- Dwayne Smith Kington
- Alf Valentine
New Zealand
- Ian Butler Harborne
- Stewie Dempster
- Martin Donnelly
- Jamie How Walsall
- Warren Lees
- Bill Merritt
- Jimmy Neesham West Bromwich Dartmouth
- Michael Papps Walsall
- John Parker Kidderminster
- Dipak Patel Dudley, West Bromwich Dartmouth
- Barry Sinclair
- Don Taylor West Bromwich Dartmouth
- Glenn Turner Stourbridge
- Roger Twose West Bromwich Dartmouth
- George Worker Knowle & Dorridge
India
- Sairaj Bahutule Wolverhampton
- Shiv Sunder Das Harborne
- Dilip Doshi Walsall
- Wasim Jaffer Himley
- Amar Singh
Pakistan
- Abid Ali West Bromwich Dartmouth
- Azhar Mahmood Smethwick
- Imran Khan
- Mohammad Akram Smethwick
- Mohammad Yousuf Smethwick, Evesham
- Mushtaq Mohammad Old Hill
- Saqlain Mushtaq Evesham
- Sadiq Mohammad
- Shahid Saeed Evesham
- Shoaib Akhtar Berkswell
- Wasim Akram Smethwick
Sri Lanka
- Dinusha Fernando Brockhampton
- Somachandra de Silva West Bromwich Dartmouth
- Champaka Ramanayake West Bromwich Dartmouth
- Malinda Warnapura Halesowen
Zimbabwe
- Tendai Chisoro Fordhouses
- Dion Ebrahim West Bromwich Dartmouth
- Andy Flower West Bromwich Dartmouth
- Grant Flower Barnt Green
- Travis Friend Knowle & Dorridge
- Trevor Garwe Wellington
- David Houghton West Bromwich Dartmouth
- Dougie Marillier Bedworth, Kenilworth Wardens
- Gus Mackay Barnt Green, West Bromwich Dartmouth
- Mpumelelo "Pommie" Mbangwa Coventry & North Warwickshire
- Waddington Mwayenga Worcester
- Edward Rainsford Berkswell
- Paul Strang Barnt Green
- Tatenda Taibu Worcester
- Mark Vermeulen Fordhouses
- Dirk Viljoen Barnt Green
Bangladesh
- Enamul Haque Jr Wolverhampton
Ireland (& England)
- Boyd Rankin Moseley
ICC Associate Nations[]
Namibia
- Jan-Berry Burger Knowle and Dorridge
- Gerrie Snyman Tamworth, Walsall
- Christi Viljeon Aston Manor
Netherlands
- Ben Cooper Stratford-upon-Avon
- Tim Gruijters Walmley
Scotland
- Navdeep Poonia Old Hill, West Bromwich Dartmouth
- Calum MacLeod Walmley
External links[]
References[]
- ^ Davis, Alex E (1988). First in the field: the history of the world's first cricket league: the Birmingham and District Cricket League, formed 1888. Brewin Books. ISBN 0-947731-34-2.
- ^ Birmingham and District Cricket League 1999 Handbook
- ^ Club Cricket Yearbook 2006
- ^ Club Cricket Yearbook 2006
- ^ Club Cricket Yearbook 2006
- ^ "Premier Division - 2003: Table".
- ^ "Premier Division - 2004: Table".
- ^ "Premier Division - 2005: Table".
- ^ "Premier Division - 2006: Table".
- ^ "Premier Division - 2007: Table".
- ^ "Premier Division - 2008: Table".
- ^ "Premier Division - 2009: Table".
- ^ "Premier Division - 2010: Table".
- ^ "Premier Division - 2011: Table".
- ^ "Premier Division - 2012: Table".
- ^ "Premier Division - 2013: Table".
- ^ "Premier Division - 2014: Table".
- ^ "Premier Division - 2015: Table".
- ^ "Premier Division - 2016: Table".
- ^ "Premier Division - 2017: Table".
- ^ "Premier Division - 2018: Table".
- ^ "Premier Division One - 2019: Table".
- ^ "Premier Division One - 2020".
- ^ "Premier Division One - 2021: Table".
- English domestic cricket competitions
- 1888 establishments in England
- Sport in Birmingham, West Midlands
- ECB Premier Leagues