# Liverpool and District Cricket Competition

The Love Lane Liverpool and District Cricket Competition is regarded as the top level of competition for recreational club cricket in the Liverpool area and since 2000 has been a designated ECB Premier League. The Competition operates a three divisional system with Premier, First and Second Divisions. The Southport and District Amateur Cricket League is its feeder league.

## History

Although many of the district's clubs had met regularly as far back as 1850, if not earlier, it was not until 1892 that a Liverpool newspaper began publishing a weekly table and calling it the Liverpool Competition to create more interest in the game. The eleven senior clubs making up the original table were Birkenhead Park, Bootle, Formby, Huyton, Liverpool, New Brighton, Northern, Ormskirk, Oxton, Rock Ferry and Sefton.
Neston were offered first team fixtures in 1908 and, in 1919, Hightown and Southport and Birkdale joined whilst Wallasey took over the fixtures of the Rock Ferry club who did not resume after the First War. Boughton Hall (later known as Chester Boughton Hall) were invited to join in 1923. The Competition continued until 1947 when it was decided to admit a sixteenth club, and Preston were voted in. Two years later, fixtures were standardised by all clubs agreeing to meet each other, and although there was no suggestion of a league, it was decided to regard the table as official. Preston resigned at the end of the 1952 season to be replaced by St Helens Recs in 1953.
In recent years the Liverpool and District Cricket Competition has changed radically. There was an expansion in 1996 that introduced clubs from further afield in Lancashire and North Wales but saw founder members Birkenhead Park, Chester Boughton Hall, Neston and Oxton resign to join the Cheshire County Cricket League for the 1998 season. Of the four, only Oxton had failed to be champions of the Liverpool and District Cricket Competition. In 1999 a two division structure was introduced, and in 2000 the 1st XI Premier Division was awarded ECB Premier League status.
From the end of the 2004 season, promotion from and relegation to the Merseyside and Southport Cricket Alliance feeder league was introduced, but was then curtailed from the end of the 2009 season. At this time, additional clubs from the Alliance were invited to join, to form a new three divisional structure.
2nd XIs play in a similar three divisional structure but independent of the 1st XIs. There is a two divisional structure for Saturday 3rd XIs and below, with another structure for those clubs preferring to play on Sundays. They have three Divisions, Premier, Division 1 North and Division 1South .

## Champions

* YearClub League Champions 1949–1968 1949 Bootle 1950 Bootle 1951 Chester Boughton Hall 1952 Liverpool 1953 Liverpool 1954 Liverpool and Southport and Birkdale 1955 Birkenhead Park 1956 Bootle 1957 Chester Boughton Hall and Neston 1958 Hightown and Ormskirk 1959 Liverpool 1960 Birkenhead Park 1961 Birkenhead Park 1962 Birkenhead Park 1963 Birkenhead Park 1964 Birkenhead Park 1965 Neston 1966 Birkenhead Park 1967 Sefton 1968 Liverpool
* YearClub League Champions 1969–1988 1969 Neston 1970 Neston 1971 Ormskirk 1972 Sefton 1973 Ormskirk 1974 New Brighton 1975 Southport and Birkdale 1976 Ormskirk 1977 Ormskirk 1978 St Helens Recs 1979 Southport and Birkdale 1980 Ormskirk 1981 Liverpool 1982 New Brighton 1983 New Brighton 1984 Bootle 1985 Chester Boughton Hall 1986 Birkenhead Park 1987 Bootle 1988 Birkenhead Park
* YearClub League Champions 1989–2008 1989 Bootle 1990 Bootle 1991 New Brighton 1992 Neston 1993 New Brighton 1994 Chester Boughton Hall 1995 Bootle 1996 Southport and Birkdale 1997 Bootle 1998 New Brighton 1999 Bootle 2000 Wallasey 2001 Ormskirk 2002 Wallasey 2003 Bootle 2004 Bootle 2005 Northern 2006 Bootle 2007 Bootle 2008 Ormskirk
* YearClub League Champions 2009–2023 2009 Bootle 2010 Lytham 2011 Ormskirk 2012 Lytham 2013 Northern 2014 Ormskirk 2015 New Brighton 2016 Leigh 2017 Ormskirk 2018 Northern 2019 Bootle 2020 League suspended 2021 Northern 2022 Wallasey 2023 Ormskirk
* 1 2 3 Shared.
* YearClub 2nd XI Champions 1999–2018 1999 Lytham 2000 Sefton Park 2001 Maghull 2002 Newton le Willows 2003 Southport and Birkdale 2004 Hightown 2005 Maghull 2006 St Helens Recs 2007 Formby 2008 Northop Hall 2009 Highfield 2010 Leigh 2011 Maghull 2012 Wallasey 2013 Birkenhead Park 2014 Formby 2015 Colwyn Bay 2016 Ainsdale 2017 Rainford 2018 Southport and Birkdale
* YearClub 2nd XI Champions 2019–2023 2019 Wigan 2020 League suspended 2021 Wallasey 2022 Rainford 2023 Ormskirk
* YearClub 3rd XI Champions 2010–2023 2010 St Helens Recs 2011 Ainsdale 2012 Birkenhead Park 2013 Sefton Park 2014 Prestatyn 2015 Burscough 2016 Skelmersdale 2017 Liverpool 2018 Old Xaverians 2019 Liverpool 2020 League suspended 2021 Northern 2022 Wallasey 2023 Merseyside Sports and Cultural Club

## Premier Division performance by season from 2003

Key :
| Gold | Champions |
| Blue | Left League |
| Red | Relegated |
Performance by season, from 2003 :
| Club | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| Ainsdale | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 12 | | | | | |
| Birkenhead Park | | | | | | | | | | | | 7 | 6 | 12 | | | | | 11 | |
| Bootle | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 11 | | |
| Colwyn Bay | | | | 2 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 11 | | | | 10 | 4 | 9 | 11 | | | 12 |
| Fleetwood Hesketh | | | 9 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 13 | | | | 10 | 11 | | | | | | | | |
| Formby | | | | | | 10 | 14 | | | | | | 5 | 2 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Highfield | | | | | | | | 4 | 9 | 6 | 11 | | 12 | | | 12 | | | | |
| Hightown | | | 12 | | 8 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 12 | | | | | | | | | |
| Huyton | 2 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 13 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Leigh | 7 | 4 | 10 | 6 | 14 | | | | 3 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Lytham | 4 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 12 | | | |
| Maghull | 9 | 12 | | 9 | 11 | 13 | | | | 9 | 7 | 12 | | | | | | | | |
| New Brighton | 5 | 8 | 3 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 9 | 10 | 10 |
| Newton-le-Willows | 12 | | | | | | 10 | 8 | 11 | | | | | | | | | | 12 | |
| Northern | 8 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| Northop Hall | 10 | 10 | 11 | | | | 7 | 10 | 12 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Ormskirk | 6 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Orrell Red Triangle | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 7 | 8 | 9 | 11 |
| Prestatyn | | | | | | 9 | 11 | 12 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Rainford | | | | | | | | | 10 | 12 | | | | 11 | | 11 | | | | 4 |
| Rainhill | | | | | | | | | | | | 9 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 9 |
| Sefton Park | | 7 | 8 | 12 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 12 | | |
| Southport & Birkdale | | 11 | | | 9 | 12 | 12 | | | 7 | 9 | 10 | 11 | | 11 | | 10 | 10 | 8 | 7 |
| St Helens Town | | | | | 12 | 14 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Wallasey | 3 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 6 | 11 | | | 6 | 5 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| Wigan | 11 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 7 | 5 | 8 |
| References | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
* ↑ Coronavirus pandemic forced a reduction in league activity - halving the number of matches played.