The Northern Cricket Union (NCU) Senior League is the provincial
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
league within the
NCU jurisdiction in
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, which covers counties
Antrim,
Armagh
Armagh ( ; ga, Ard Mhacha, , "Macha's height") is the county town of County Armagh and a city in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Pri ...
,
Down and south
Tyrone of
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
. The league was formed in 1897 and is currently divided into four sections, namely the Premier League, Sections 1, 2 and 3. It is sponsored by
Robinson Services and marketed as the Robinson Services Premier League, Robinson Services Section 1, etc.
There are a total of 32 league members: ten in the Premier League; ten in League 1; and twelve in League 2. There is promotion and relegation of two clubs between each division.
Teams play each other twice per season, once at home and once away, each season, with four points awarded for a win and two for a tie or for "
no result
The result in a game of cricket may be a "win" for one of the two teams playing, or a "tie". In the case of a limited overs game, the game can also end with "no result" if the game can't be finished on time (usually due to weather or bad ligh ...
". When two or more teams finish with the same number of points, the team with the best
net run rate
Net run rate (NRR) is a statistical method used in analysing teamwork and/or performance in cricket. It is the most commonly used method of ranking teams with equal points in limited overs league competitions, similar to goal difference in foo ...
is placed highest. Matches consist of one
innings
An innings is one of the divisions of a cricket match during which one team takes its turn to bat. Innings also means the period in which an individual player bats (acts as either striker or nonstriker). Innings, in cricket, and rounders, is bot ...
per side, with a maximum of fifty, and a minimum of twenty
overs bowled per innings.
Waringstown are the most successful side in the Premier League with 31 wins (6 shared) and the current champions are Lisburn after winning the 2022 competition. This was their first title since 1993
In 2020, the season was abridged due to the coronavirus pandemic and the Premier League was played as a single round of fixtures with the top four teams progressing to semi-finals and the champions declared after a final.
Members for 2022 season
Source
Northern Cricket Union
List of champions
Performance by club
Summary of winners
See also
*
NCU Challenge Cup
The NCU Challenge Cup, also called the NCU Senior Challenge Cup and the NCU Senior Cup, is the most important provincial cricket knock-out cup of the NCU jurisdiction in Ireland. The competition began in 1887, with eleven clubs participating in ...
*
NCU Junior Cup
The NCU Junior Cup is a provincial cricket knock-out cup of the NCU jurisdiction in Ireland. The competition began in 1891 and is open to teams playing in the Sections 2 and 3 of the NCU Senior League and Section 1 of the NCU Junior League (which ...
*
Irish Senior Cup
*
Leinster Senior League
*
Ulster Cup
The Ulster Cup was an annual football competition held by the Irish Football League for senior clubs.
History
Beginning in 1949, it was held on fifty-one occasions until being suspended after the 1998/99 season and discontinued after a one-of ...
*
North West Senior League
The North West Senior League is the provincial cricket league within the North West Cricket Union jurisdiction in Ireland, which covers counties Londonderry, Fermanagh, and part of Tyrone in Northern Ireland and County Donegal in the Republic of ...
References
CricketEurope
External links
Northern Cricket Union
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ncu Senior League
Senior cricket leagues in Ireland
Cricket in Ulster