THE top clubs in the Business Assistance Liverpool Competition were breathing a sigh of relief yesterday after the ECB confirmed that club cricket’s national knock-out cup will take place in 2009.
The highly-regarded competition had been under severe threat following Cockspur’s decision to move their sponsorship to the Twenty20 event, but pressure from elite sides, angry at being deprived of a valued showcase for the recreational game, led to a re-think at Lord’s.
However, financial constraints mean that next season’s competition will have a reduced format compared to 2008.
There will be one fewer round, Scottish clubs will not take part and there will be little or no prize money, although all participating teams will have to pay a £50 entrance fee.
In addition, the 2009 final will not be held at Lord’s, but staged at a county ground instead. This change has been made because of the high number of major matches taking place at the home of cricket next year.
Although all clubs who took part in the 2008 National Knock-Out are being invited to be considered for inclusion in 2009, only 256 teams will make up the final entry. Factors such as player registration on the Play-Cricket site and the quality of the league a club competes in on a Saturday will be used to decide which sides are admitted.
The provisional date for the first round of the new national knock-out is May 3 but all applications for entry must reach the ECB by Saturday, November 15 2008.
