Changes to NPCL and Palace Shield for the 2025 season

It was initially announced last August that discussions had taken place between Northern Premier Cricket League, Moore and Smalley Palace Shield and Westmorland Cricket League representatives.

Those talks ended with the proposal to make the NPCL a two-division league, leave the Palace Shield as an amateur competition and incorporate the Westmorland League ‘more officially’ into the pyramid.

Competition AGMs late last year then saw Carlisle CC elected to join the NPCL in 2025, following on from Settle’s debut season in 2024 which makes it a 13-team division this year.

It had been initially proposed that 2025 would see four Palace Shield teams join the 13 NPCL clubs, plus Carlisle, which left space for two more entries to the NPCL.

Now, following a Special General Meeting at the start of the month, the make-up of next year’s competitions has been decided.

Divisions one and two of the NPCL will have 10 teams, as will the Moore and Smalley Palace Shield top flight.

The NPCL division one will comprise the top 10 clubs from 2024, while the bottom three will join the Palace Shield’s top six and Carlisle to make up division two.

The bottom six in this year’s Palace Shield Premier Division will remain in that division for 2024, joined by the top four from division 1A.

Southport and District League club Burscough will also enter the pyramid next year, which sees them playing in the Palace Shield’s rebranded division two; the present division 1B.