2023/24 Season Dates / Formats
The 2023/24 season will start on the 14th October for Men’s Division 1-4. Men's Division 5-7 + Intercity 40 overs will start on 21st October and T20 Teams will start on 4th November.
Draws for Senior Cricket will be published once team entries have been received and confirmed. These will be published on PlayHQ and the Cricket Wellington website.
Please note that these season dates and draws are subject to change dependant on ground preparation and the International and Domestic calendars.
New Grade Structures - Will be made available soon.
After the senior men’s competition discussions held last season, we have implemented a new structure for the senior men’s competition.
This is largely around promotion and relegation in divisions 1 and 2. Promotion and relegation are still in place but are for specific formats only. For example, the team which finishes in last place in the One Day format will only be relegated in that format for the following season.
Please see below an overview of Division 1 & 2. Also attached is the structure for all grades and how winners are determined.
Grade | Winner / Promotion/Relegation |
Division 1 - Ewen Chatfield Trophy | Teams play each other twice, home and away, with the top two sides contesting a final. The team which finishes in last place will be relegated to Division 2 for the 2022/23 season (one day format only) |
Division 1 - Two Day Competition | Teams play each other once. The Team who finishes in last place will be relegated to Division 2 for the 2022/23 season (two day cricket only) |
Division 1 - Pearce Cup | Points are combined from the Ewen Chatfield Trophy and the Division 1 Two Day Competition to determine the two finalists, who will play a three day match to determine the winner. |
Division 2 - One Day Competition | The team who finishes with the most competition points after the One Day Competition will be promoted to Division 1 for the 2022/23 season (one day cricket only) |
Division 2 - Two Day Competition | The team who finishes with the most competition points after the Two Day Competition will be promoted to Division 1 for the 2022/23 season (two day cricket only) |
Division 2 – Hazlett Trophy | Points are combined from the One Day and Two Day Competitions to determine the winner. The team who finishes in last place after points are combined will be relegated to Division 3 for the 2022/23 season (If the side that wins Division 3 meets qualification criteria to play in Division Two) |
Division 5,6 & 7 - The other major change is in Division 5, where there are currently 10 teams. This means sides do not play each other an equal amount of times and does not align with the remainder of two day grades which have 8 teams. This causes problems with ground allocations and ensuring there are enough grass wickets to cover all Two Day grades.
To solve this, at the conclusion of the 2021/22 season, the two bottom sides in both Division 5 and 6 will be relegated to Divisions 6 and 7 for the 2022/23 season and there will be no promotion for the winners of Division 6 and 7 for the 2021/22 season. Usual promotion and relegation will resume in all grades from the 2022/23 season onwards.
Intercity One Day / T20 Grades – Each grade will be limited to 10 teams (the lowest grade may have more or less, depending on team entries) with the final round being finals and playoff matches. Promotion and Relegation for these grades has now been introduced.
Individual Trophies/Celebration of Cricket
Division 1 & 2 - Feedback from the Celebration of Cricket awards was that there is inconsistency in the way trophies are awarded across Men’s Division 1 and 2, with some trophies being inclusive of both grades (Best overall performance) and others that are not (Most Runs). With the new structure, where a team could be playing in both Division 1 and 2 in the same season, all Division 1 and 2 players will be eligible for individual awards. Performances in the T20 cup will also be included in deciding trophy winners. Please see the attached structure for awards and how winners are determined.
By-Laws & Playing Conditions Review
A review of the Cricket Wellington By-Laws and Playing Conditions has been undertaken (subject to Board Approval) and will feature a number of changes and additions. Once these changes have been approved, clubs will be provided an update. The main sections of the By-Laws and Playing Conditions which have been reviewed are:
- Match Reports (Captains and Umpire Reports) and Non-compliance
- Code of Conduct and the hearing process – Undertaken with New Zealand Cricket and First Class Cricket Umpires
- Individual trophies and awards criteria has been added
- The General Playing Conditions – Undertaken with Jeremy Busby
- Two Day Cricket points structure
- The addition of Playing Conditions for Women’s Cricket to align these grades with Men’s grades
- Participation criteria for Men’s Divisions 1 & 2 and the monitoring of these criteria
- Language has been updated to remove the terms “Premier” and to change the term “Batsman” to “Batter”
New Zealand Cricket have updated their helmet policy which can be found here. Note, there are no key changes from the previous policy where it is mandatory for junior cricketers to wear a helmet and strongly recommended for senior cricketers
The 2023/24 By-Laws and Playing Conditions will be provided to clubs once approved.
Competition Resources:
All information for the 2023-24 season including fixtures and results, season playing dates and resources can be found under the ‘Club Cricket ‘ tab on the Cricket Wellington website.
Club Resources will be continually updated here.
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