At a meeting at Liverpool CC on Tuesday 12th October, the clubs of the Liverpool and District Cricket Competition voted by 14 votes to 5 against becoming an ECB Premier League in 2000, this is despite having applied and being accepted as one by the ECB some three months ago.

The L&DCC clubs were not prepared to accept the conditions of being a Premier League having witnessed the catastrophe that it has been in the neighbouring Cheshire County League.

Caldy from the Merseyside Competition, who had applied to join the Competition together with the top teams from the proposed feeder leagues, were reluctantly admitted by a 13-9 vote thus creating a 25th team. The Premier Division will have 12 teams, 22 fixtures in 2000 with the First Division having 13 teams with 24 fixtures spread over 26 dates, two of which will be blank.

Clearly no thought had gone into what would happen with the fixture list if an extra team was admitted.

The proposed feeder leagues, the Manchester Association, the Merseyside Competition and the Southport League must now remain as they are at present, independent leagues and not part of the LCB Premier League structure.

The defeat of the Premier League proposal lead to the Liverpool Competition secretary resigning with the possibility of more of The Management Committee to follow.