The relegation of Wellington and Bridgnorth from the Birmingham League has meant three teams have been relegated from the Premier Division for the 2025 season, and only one club – champions Newtown – has been promoted.
Shrewsbury 2, Oswestry and Frankton will be playing Division One cricket next season. It will be Oswestry's first taste of life below the Premier, while both Frankton and Shrewsbury 2 were also relegated in 2021.
St Georges, ninth for the fourth time in their last seven Premier seasons, remain in the Premier, from which no more than three sides have been relegated at a single time since the first full season of the united SCCL in 2012.
It's unfortunate for Cound, runners-up in D1 after a season-long battle with Bomere Heath, and who gave Newtown a run for their money. They miss out because of the double relegation from the BDPCL with the SCCL champions failing to go up.
Premier Division: Wellington, Bridgnorth, Whitchurch, Quatt, Wem, Shelton, Ludlow, Sentinel, Allscott, Madeley, St Georges, Newtown.
It's a case of four down from D1 – Wroxeter, Ellesmere, Forton, Lilleshall – while Quatt 2 and Broseley are promoted. Wroxeter had the lowest points total of the three ninth-placed sides in the league's top divisions, while Broseley – possibly deprived of the D2 title by bad weather – had the best RU points total of the three sections below the Premier.
Division One: Shrewsbury 2, Oswestry, Frankton, Cound, Bomere Heath, Newport, Shifnal 2, Wellington 2, Worfield 2, Chirk, Quatt 2, Broseley.
In Division Two, it's three down in Wellington 3, Sentinel 2 and Bridgnorth 2. D3 champions Wheaton Aston are promoted, thus reaching their highest-ever SCCL placing. Column's 269 points and nine wins in 19 games played was a big factor in their survival, while D3 runner-up Welshpool miss out after gaining 293 points in an 11-team division.
Division Two: Wroxeter, Ellesmere, Forton, Lilleshall, Knockin, Montgomery, Shelton 2, Albrighton, Frankwell, Alberbury, Column, Wheaton Aston.
Division Three is brought back up to full strength by the promotion of both Wem 2 and Church Stretton, who pipped Newtown 2 to second place in D4 by just a single point. Wellington 3, Sentinel 2 and Bridgnorth 2 are relegated.
Division Three: Wellington 3, Sentinel 2, Bridgnorth 2, Welshpool, Whitchurch 2, Church Aston, Ludlow 2, Willey, St Georges 2, Guilsfield, Wem 2, Church Stretton.
Bomere Heath 2 and Iscoyd & Fenns Bank are promoted into Division Four while Newport 2, Pontesbury and Oswestry 2 go the other way. However Oswestry 2's total of just 106 points contained two concessions as they finished a long way in arrears at the bottom of the section, and they have consequently been placed in D5. This is not a punishment though – it's designed to help improve morale and availability, and the teams who have previously experienced the same double relegation have all recovered well.
Hodnet & Peplow, Madeley 2 and Shrewsbury 3 are relegated, while Oswestry 2's demise hands a bonus promotion to Cound 2, who again go up in third place for the second successive season.
Division Four: Newport 2, Pontesbury, Newtown 2, Frankton 2, Harpers, Llanidloes, Priorslee, Condover, Shifnal 3, Bomere Heath 2, Iscoyd & Fenns, Cound 2.
Bridgnorth 3 have opted to join the Sunday section, so Division Five has just two relegations in St Georges 3 and Wellington 4. They are replaced by Knockin 2 and Column 2, table-toppers in D6.
Division Five: Oswestry 2, Hodnet, Madeley 2, Shrewsbury 3, Frankwell 2, Much Wenlock, Allscott Heath 2, Lilleshall 2, Bishops Castle, Wroxeter 2, Knockin 2, Column 2.
There are three relegations in Division Six because Ludlow 3 asked to go down, thus joining Condover 2 and Harcourt in D7. Acton Reynald, Ellesmere 2 and Coton Hall replace them.
Division Six: St Georges 3, Wellington 4, Cae Glas, Willey 2, Alberbury 2, Montgomery 2, Forton 2, Calverhall, Welshpool 2, Acton Reynald, Ellesmere 2, Coton Hall.
New entries to the league are Whittington and Quatt 4, which brings total Saturday numbers up to a round 100 and left 16 teams to be accommodated below D6.
As usual, the lowest division(s) needed a considered approach, so D8 was re-introduced below D7, and both sections contain eight teams which will play each other three times. 2024's 14-team D7 is split in half, with Whittington placed in D7 and Quatt 4 in D8.
Division Seven: Ludlow 3, Condover 2, Harcourt, Chirk 2, Albrighton 2, Quatt 3, Guilsfield 2, Whittington.
Division Eight: Cae Glas 2, Lilleshall 3, Quayside, Sentinel 3, Corvedale, Chelmarsh, Pontesbury 2, Quatt 4.
The embargo has been lifted on the four players barred from competing for Chelmarsh 1st XI last year after their team was dropped from D1 to D7 owing to an exodus of players.
SUNDAY SECTION
Four new entries brings the total to 33, which means three divisions of 11 teams.
S1 now comprises the top seven teams from 2024, plus the top four from S2.
Sunday One: Madeley 3, Church Aston 2, Wellington 5, Shelton 3, St Georges 4, Worfield 3, Shrewsbury 4, Knockin 3, Priorslee 2, Harpers 2, Newport 3.
S2 incorporates Bridgnorth 3's switch, the bottom team from S1, the top two promoted from S3, and positions 5-11 from 2024.
Sunday Two: Alberbury 3, Bridgnorth 3, Shifnal 4, Cound 3, Wem 3, Whitchurch 3, Bomere Heath 3, Lilleshall 4, Oswestry 3, Broseley 2, Frankwell 3.
S3 sees three new entrants in Allscott Heath 3, Newtown 3 and Llanidloes 2, one relegation from S2, and the remainder of 2024's section.
Sunday Three: Chelmarsh 2, Knockin 4,Madeley 4, Frankton 3, St Georges 5, Sentinel 4, Bridgnorth 4, Oswestry 4, Allscott 3, Newtown 3, Llanidloes 2.
