Worcestershire County Cricket League

The Worcestershire County Cricket League (WCL) is an English club cricket league, and consists of club teams primarily from Worcestershire, as well as several other clubs from bordering counties Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire and Warwickshire.
History.
The Worcestershire County Cricket League was created in 1999 as part of the new 'pyramid system' in English club cricket, and acts as a feeder league to the Birmingham and District Premier League. It was formed mainly as a merger between the old Worcestershire Clubs' League and the Autobag/Plumb Centre League. Other clubs came from the Midland Combined Counties League, the 3D Cricket PLJ League, and in the case of Herefordshire sides, the Marches Cricket League and the Willowsticks Three Counties Cricket League.
There is promotion and relegation and most divisions of the league operate on a two up/two down basis, although the feeder league status means that more than two sides may be relegated from the Premier Division, with knock-on effects on other divisions, if one or more Worcestershire (also Herefordshire in the past) side is relegated from Birmingham League Division 1. Other exceptions to this are in the Premier Division (where the winner is only promoted to the Birmingham and District Premier League if they finish in the top 2 out of the 4 feeder league champions, after a round-robin competition between the 4 sides at the end of the season). 
In the four regionalised Division 8 leagues the winners of each league go into a four team playoff, with the top two teams going up to Division 7. The bottom side of each of the four regionalised Division 8 leagues is relegated, and replaced by the winners of the four regionalised Division 9 leagues (with no relegation from Division 9). 
Winners of Division 1 of the Worcestershire County Cricket League, who have been promoted to the Birmingham and District Premier League, since 1999 are:
In 2018 there was no promotion from any of the four county feeder leagues due to the restructuring of the Birmingham & District Premier League.
In 2020 there was no promotion from any of the four county feeder leagues due to the shortened season resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. 
From 2019 onwards the winners of the Worcestershire County League's new Premier Division went into a round-robin playoff at the end of the season with the winners of the Shropshire, Staffordshire and Warwickshire leagues, with the top two sides out of the four being promoted to the Birmingham & District Premier League.
Divisional structure.
From 1999 until 2018 from Division 1 down to Division 4 there were separate 2nd XI Divisions, with the 4th XI of those sides whose 3rd XIs played in the league competing against other clubs' 2nd XIs. From 2006, Division 1 and 2 2nd XIs were promoted and relegated independently of their 1st XIs (and 4th XIs could be promoted or relegated independently of their 3rd XIs), from 2007 the same applied to Division 3, and from 2014 this also applied to Division 4. Clubs could only be promoted from Division 5 if they were able to field two XIs in the following season, and there was a space available in Division 4.
At the end of the 2018 season the league absorbed six 1st XIs that were relegated out of the Birmingham and District Premier League due to the league downsizing from 48 to 24 clubs, as well as 14 2nd XIs, due to the B&DPCL no longer holding a 2nd XI competition from 2019 onwards. The 1st XIs to be relegated were Astwood Bank, Old Elizabethans, Old Hill, Pershore, Redditch and Stourbridge. The 2nd XIs that were absorbed by the WCL were Astwood Bank, Barnards Green, Barnt Green, Brockhampton, Bromsgrove, Halesowen, Himley, Kidderminster, Old Elizabethans, Old Hill, Ombersley, Pershore, Redditch, and Stourbridge. 
For the 2019 season the league adopted a 'linear structure' so that 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th XIs would all be part of the same 'ladder system', and theoretically a 2nd, 3rd or 4th XI etc. would be able to be promoted as far as the new WCL Premier Division (one division below the Birmingham and District Premier League).
For the 2021 season several of the league's lower divisions were regionalised, so that the top 8 divisions (Premier to Division 7) remained county wide, but Divisions 8 and 9 were regionalised into North, South, East and West divisions. 
For 2021 the Worcestershire County Cricket League will be made up of the following divisions and clubs:
Clubs from different counties.
For the 2021 season 64 different clubs will have sides in the league. As well as 48 Worcestershire clubs, there are 7 clubs from Herefordshire (Bartestree & Lugwardine, Bosbury, Brockhampton, Bromyard, Burghill, Tillington & Weobley, Colwall, Eastnor), 4 from Shropshire (Alveley, Claverley, Cleobury Mortimer, Highley), 3 from Staffordshire (Enville, Himley, Old Hill), and 2 from Warwickshire (Buffalo Barnstormers, Harborne) in the league.
Famous players.
79 First-Class and List A cricketers have played in the Worcestershire County Cricket League, including 15 internationals:
Internationals, and club represented.
England
New Zealand
West Indies
Pakistan
Sri Lanka
Zimbabwe
Scotland 
Other First Class and List A players, and club(s) represented.
England
Australia
South Africa
West Indies
New Zealand
India
Pakistan
Sri Lanka
Zimbabwe
Namibia