Premier League back on agenda

Lancashire Evening Telegraph

6 August 1997


THE controversial Lancashire Premier League is back on the agenda. As well as the headline-grabbing recommendations for three conferences of six teams in the championship and a new two division one-day competition, the MacLaurin Report unveiled at Lord's yesterday insisted that county premier leagues must be introduced by 1999.

And it came up with a number of new incentives for clubs to join, including grants, a share of national sponsorship and a new knockout competition with the final at Lord's exclusively for Premier League clubs.

MacLaurin has also suggested that Premier League cricket is played over two days, with a ban on overseas players - parts of the original proposal for Lancashire which were watered down in a bid for compromise.

John Brewer, chairman of the Lancashire Cricket Board, received the report at Lord's and said today: ``We are going to have to spend time considering the implications, but if it is passed we've got to get cracking because we will be asked to form a Premier League by 1999. ``We would very much welcome the involvement of English Cricket Board officials, and give them the opportunity to explain the proposals in detail to leagues and clubs.

``We want to achieve Premier Leagues by consent, which is what the ECB want, and it's clear that they are committed to the idea - to the point where they are proposing that Premier League clubs will qualify for an annual grant and possibly receive revenue from a national sponsorship.''

The Lancashire Committee meet on August 19 to discuss their response to the Report, but it would be a major surprise if they don't vote in favour, along with most other counties, on September 15.

Even though the Report appears to contain a number of compromises, notably an increase in one-day cricket, there is a mood for change given England's continuing problems.


Source: The Lancashire Evening Telegraph

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Date-stamped : 25 Feb1998 - 18:48