Premier League planned in 2010

THE Guernsey Cricket Association aims to create a new Evening League Premier Division to inject some lost prestige into the short game.

From next season it is planned to have a new Twenty-20-style league on grass.

The move follows a general view that the first division of the Evening League, for years the be-all and end-all of the local game, has become stale and there are only a handful of meaningful matches as the top clubs, especially Cobo, have become too strong for the lesser teams.

'The last couple of years there's been a growing divide between the top and bottom sides in the first division,' said GCA president Mark Latter (pictured).

'There's been a few grumblings about the level of cricket being played.

'Rather than ignore that, there's an opportunity here to improve the league structure and make them all more competitive by spreading players around and help Guernsey cricket by allowing the chaps representing the island to play Evening League on grass as well as at the weekends.'

The Twenty-20 competition will feature the island's four weekend clubs – Cobo, Wanderers, Argyll Investments and Optimists-Rovers, along with a Guernsey Cricket Board select side.

It will take place on Monday and Tuesday evenings during June and July.