The fixtures for the 2023 season are now LIVE on this website – see Tables/Results
And the great news is that the League is starting to grow again after the pandemic with a super 6 new teams accepted to compete this year – plus a brand new division – with just 2 sides withdrawing.
Newport, Hadley USC and Wrockwardine Wood will field new teams in the Friday divisions while new sides from Horsehay and Bowring will feature in the Monday divisions and Castlefields were voted into the Dennis Lewis Thursday Division.
Sadly, Sir John Bayley withdrew from the Thursday Division due to a lack of interest and Wrockwardine Wood pulled out 1 of its Monday teams.
The format will be 12 teams in divisions 1 & 2 starting on April 28th and 13 in division 3 starting on April 21st and having to play 2 Wednesday night games – on 10th May and 5th July.
On Mondays, divisions 4 & 5 will have 11 sides with 12 in division 6, all starting on April 3 – with the New Monday Merit played early in the campaign, qualifying and finals night being on the Bank Holidays of May 1st and 8th.
And there will be 13 teams in the Dennis Lewis Thursday Division with opening night being on April 6th.
That was the headline news from the League’s March executive meeting, following which, delegates of 5 of the 7 clubs that have applied to enter the proposed new Afternoon Division, agreed they wanted to press ahead.
In an ideal world, 1 more team is needed to avoid bye weeks but, come April 6th, Highley, Donnington Wood, Edgmond, Albrighton, Madeley CC, Chelmarsh and Bowring will start to contest 6-a-side matches for men and women of all ages, primarily on Thursdays and starting at 1.30pm.
With regards to fees in 2023, the match & league fees proposals from treasurer Celia Miles – match fees in ALL divisions set at 50p; annual fee per team cut to £5; and no 25p per player annual registration fee – were approved using executive powers for one year only, to be review for the 2024 season.
And the same goes for the competition fees already published by organiser Rob Burroughs, with delegates accepting that, starting this year, the League will invoice clubs for all entries.