With thanks to Alex Diver @ Northern Pyramid Cricket Competition for insights on the Northern Premier League Merger
🔄 “Just because it’s been that way for 70 years, doesn’t mean it’s the best way forward.”
It might be the most ambitious restructure in English club cricket — and it’s already up and running.
What began as a slow, cautious conversation about second teams, stale competitions, and unnecessary admin has turned into one of the boldest league mergers the sport has seen.
Now branded as the MHA Northern Pyramid, a new 14-tier competition structure has united the Northern Premier League, Palace Shield, and Westmorland League, covering clubs across Lancashire and Cumbria in a single, integrated pathway.
We spoke to Alex Diver, one of the key architects of the merger, about how it started, what it’s already delivered — and what it means for clubs from Carlisle to Blackpool and beyond.
⚙️ Why merge at all?
The trigger? Tired, repetitive second-team cricket.
For years, second XIs in the Northern League were locked in fixed divisions with no promotion or relegation. If you lost your first few games, your season was effectively over.
“People started asking: why have three leagues in one area, with three committees, three lots of admin, and three sets of play-cricket?”
By 2016, promotion and relegation between the Palace Shield and Northern Premier League was introduced. Then a third layer joined — now known as tier five — and momentum grew toward a more unified, efficient structure.
Today, the pyramid is fully in place, with a shared executive board overseeing the big picture, while individual leagues still manage their own competitions.
🏗️ How it works: Tiers, divisions, and a real ladder
The structure now includes:
- 14 Saturday divisions
- 6 Sunday leagues
- 6 women’s competitions
- One clear pathway from the bottom to the top.
At the peak are two ECB Premier Divisions (Tier 1), followed by Palace Shield Premier Division (Tier 2), with the structure fanning out into localised groups below.
“We’ve had teams win the Westmorland League and climb all the way up — and brand new clubs entering at the base with a clear route forward.”
There’s flexibility too: second teams can rise as high as Palace Shield Division 1, but cannot reach the top three divisions. First teams always take precedence, ensuring fairness in promotion and relegation.
📉 No more ‘yo-yo clubs’
Before the restructure, clubs promoted to the top tier often bounced straight back down — unprepared for the jump in standard, costs, or admin.
Now, a second ECB Premier Division creates a buffer zone, easing transitions between amateur and semi-pro cricket. Rule changes — like a shift from win-draw to win-lose formats — have also encouraged more positive, results-driven cricket.
“We want clubs to stay at the level they’ve earned — not throw everything at it for one year, burn out, and drop.”
🧮 What about payments and pros?
In the Northern Premier League, clubs can have one professional, either overseas or local, whereas in the Palace Shield and Westmorland League competitions, clubs can have one overseas amateur. The rest of the squad must remain amateur.
But Diver reveals that a points-based system — similar to that used in Nottinghamshire and parts of Australia — is already being trialled behind the scenes. It will reward clubs that develop their own players and limit the reliance on imported talent.
“It’s about protecting clubs from themselves — stopping them from bringing in eight players and leaving juniors on the bench.”
💰 Cutting costs, boosting benefits
From a pure business perspective, the merger has brought serious economies of scale:
- £100,000+ in joint ball orders
- Shared insurance and trophy cover
- Sponsorship income doubled
- Unified tech deals like Frogbox live streaming
“Previously, a club like Netherfield might have players in three leagues — three different registrations, three sets of volunteer hours. Now it’s all under one roof.”
Frogbox is now mandatory for top divisions, and 80% of pyramid games are already being electronically scored. Next year, that number will rise again, with scorer training courses and simplified iPad scoring leading the charge.
🎥 “We’re not playing glorified friendlies anymore”
One standout innovation has been the introduction of a League Cup competition at the start of the season — a pink-ball group-stage format seeded across tiers. It offers meaningful cricket before the league fixtures begin and helps clubs assess where they stand.
“People thought it would be a waste of time — but they’ve loved it. It’s competitive, seeded, and useful.”
It also gives overseas players a chance to acclimatise and teams a way to build chemistry before the main season kicks off.
Check out all the comings & goings around the Premier Leagues HERE
🧱 Sunday cricket reimagined
While Sunday cricket is in decline in parts of the UK, the Northern Pyramid uses it as a development space — with eligibility rules ensuring over-40s and under-21s get the games, not Premier League regulars.
“We’re not here to send 13-year-olds up against Premier Division bowlers. It has to be safe, fair, and focused on player growth.”
🧭 Future plans: Steady expansion and national influence
New clubs are already applying to join the pyramid — some from the Cumbrian League, others from independents like the NWCL. While some resistance remains, Diver is confident:
“We’ll probably be at 91 clubs soon. And we’ve shown that if a team’s good enough, they’ll find their level — and if they’re not, they’ll drop. That’s how it should be.”
Behind the scenes, discussions are already taking place about 2026 and 2027 — when the Palace Shield turns 125 and the Northern League hits 75. The exec is planning for both.
🚀 What makes it work?
The real success isn’t just in the structure — it’s in the mindset.
“This isn’t about empire-building. We’ve got a committee of people looking forward, not backwards. There’s no ‘back in my day’ — just ‘what’s best now.’”
With shared rules, streamlined scoring, modern governance, and long-term planning, it’s clear this pyramid isn’t just surviving — it’s thriving.
✅ Takeaways for other leagues
- Consolidation works — fewer silos, less duplication.
- Pathways matter — players, clubs, and juniors need clear direction.
- Technology helps — scoring, streaming, and scheduling all benefit from scale.
- Future-focused leadership is the secret sauce.
You can follow all the fixtures & results HERE (ECB National Club Championship)
👀 What’s next?
If you’re following Premier League cricket and want to keep up with the most dynamic leagues in the country, keep an eye on the MHA Northern Pyramid. Clubs are rising, games are streaming, and the future looks bright.
As Diver puts it:
“It’s taken ten years of chipping away. But we’ve got there — and it’s just the start.”
Got a club on a similar journey? Let us know — we might just come and visit.
