Fixtures and other news from the Cheshire Women's Cricket League

The Cheshire Women's League clubs have agreed that, for 2021, the first division will revert to the format in which it was originally intended to play the 2020 season.

The teams in this division will be: 

Didsbury

Oakmere

Appleton

Chester Boughton Hall

Stockport Trinity

Leigh

Porthill Park

with the teams playing each other home and away.

Division 2 will comprise:

Nantwich

Ashton-on-Mersey

Oxton

Upton

Stockport Georgians 

Porthill Park 2nd XI

Again, this division’s fixtures will be on a home and away basis.

Automatic one-up, one-down relegation has been introduced between the first and second divisions.

There are more significant changes in the third and fourth divisions, where we welcome Hayfield as a new club, and also see Stockport Georgians, Lindow and Nantwich entering second teams in competitive cricket for the first time. 

Division 3 West will comprise:

Hawarden Park

Wistaston Village

Chester Boughton Hall 2nd XI

Nantwich 2nd XI

The Division 3 East teams are:

Langley

Didsbury 2^nd XI

Hayfield

Woodley

Lindow

In each of these divisions, the teams will play each other three times.

Division 4 will comprise: 

Lymm Oughtrington Park

the joint Heaton Mersey & Cheadle team

the Hawk Green team that has relocated from Marple

Stockport Georgians 2nd XI

Lindow 2nd XI

In this division, the teams will play each other on a home and away basis.

It is expected that divisions 1-4 will use the regulations that existed when these competitions last operated in 2019, although the League reserves the right to use regulations more akin to those of the 2020 Summer Series should the Covid-19 position dictate that this is desirable. 

In the Senior Knockout Cup competition, the seeded draw came out as follows:

Round One:

Oxton v Chester Boughton Hall Deemons

Stockport Georgians v Ashton-on-Mersey

Woodley v Oakmere Kats

Upton v Appleton Tigers

Senior Knockout Cup Quarter Finals:

Nantwich Vipers v Woodley/Oakmere

Georgians/Ashton-on-M v Didsbury Swordettes

Upton/Appleton v Oxton/Chester

Stockport Trinity Fire v Porthill Park

A simple draw was conducted for the Development Knockout Cup, to be contested by division 3 and 4 teams, and the first round of this is:

1 - Hawk Green - bye

2 - Lindow - bye

3 - Woodley v Stockport Georgians 2nd XI

4 - Hayfield v Heaton Mersey & Cheadle

5 - Didsbury 2nd XI v Langley

6 - Lymm Oughtrington Park Lightning v Hawarden Park

7 - Chester Boughton Hall 2nd XI v Wistaston Swans

8 - Nantwich 2nd XI - bye

The winner of Match 1 will be at home to the winner of Match 2 in the quarter finals etc.

The League XI are scheduled to play the MCC on Thursday August 12 at 1130.

The League is also launching two regional Division 5s of teams that will play softball cricket. 

Division 5 West will comprise:

Alvanley

Leigh 2nd XI

Oakmere 2nd XI

Runcorn

Wistaston Village 2nd XI

Chester Boughton Hall 3rd XI

Division 5 East will comprise:

Broadbottom

Langley 2nd XI

North East Cheshire

Macclesfield

Stockport Georgians 3rd XI

Toft

Didsbury’s Hannah Jones has joined the growing ranks of professional women’s cricketers in England, with Porthill Park’s Evelyn Jones having already been awarded a professional contract last year. Both players were amongst the leading performers in last year’s Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy national regional competition.

NATIONAL KNOCKOUT:

Four League teams have entered the National Knockout, and for at least one of these, the journey will end early, as Nantwich and Leigh have been paired together in round one. If Didsbury overcome Blackpool, they then travel to Nantwich or Leigh in the second round. Porthill Park have been paired with Wolverhampton. All first round losers will progress to the Plate competition.