The Club Cricket Conference has announced that four more leagues, involving about 100 clubs in the south, have agreed to affiliation as part of an initiative to bring as many players as possible under one representation.
Over the past three months four ethnic leagues, the South East Sunday Cricket League, Elliot Davis London Cricket League, London Tigers and Telugu Association of London Cricket League have joined the CCC family, giving themselves a voice and access to collective resources.
The CCC has made early progress in bringing more leagues into the mainstream with a better chance of encouraging more players into cricket. Alf Langley, the CCC chairman, said: "By involving as many clubs as possible there is more opportunity to pool facilities and to attract proper funding. It is encouraging that ethnic leagues have joined. The CCC want to widen their support as far as possible, and we can help them in a practical way."
The South East Sunday Cricket League was established in 1982, playing 45-over games on Sundays in Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Surrey, plus two annual bank holiday knockout tournaments. They have five divisions and 45 teams, mainly involving third or fourth generation players of Pakistani background.
The Elliot Davis London Cricket League was established in 1992 for 40-over games on Sundays in the Essex and east and south London area for 18 teams in two divisions, mainly ethnic Pakistani.
The London Tigers draw from the Bangladeshi community in Middlesex and east London. This year they launched their junior set-up for under-11, 13, 15 and 17 cricketers at Southall CC. The Telugu Association of London Cricket League play mostly 20-over games around the northern part of the M25, starting their own IPL-style 'franchises' with sponsors, coloured clothing and substantial prize money.
The CCC now represents some 30 leagues in addition to a total of about 1,000 clubs in the south. Talks are continuing with more leagues.
The ultimate aim is to unify all clubs in England and Wales under one organisation with the backing of ECB and Sport England.