THE HPH York Vale Cricket League will have six divisions next season for the first time in its 79-year history.

The top three divisions will each have ten teams with divisions four, five and six having eight sides each.

A cup competition for the lower divisions is to be reinstated and will have a new trophy, the President’s Cup. It will include a plate competition for teams knocked out in the early rounds.

Two new sides, Stamford Bridge and Hirst Courtney II, were elected at the league’s annual general meeting last month. That meeting was told that Thorp Arch & Boston Spa were also looking to field a second team in the Vale set-up which would effectively replace the Tadcaster Magnets side which withdrew from the league.

An email vote of clubs after the AGM saw TABS II admitted which took the number of teams to the record high of 54. It left the league’s management committee the difficult task of incorporating that number into the league.

Woodhouse Grange have withdrawn their team which played in division two last season and have replaced what was the club’s third team with a fourth team. The management committee felt it appropriate that this team should be placed in the lowest division.

South Cave & Brantingham proved far too strong for division five last term and as a vacancy was created by the Woodhouse Grange issue it was felt they would be most competitive in division three.

The fast-tracking of South Cave, who won their division by a massive 83 points, means that University of York Staff will retain their place in division two after initially facing relegation.

Robert Woolley, of sponsors HPH chartered accountants said: “As a business we are delighted to be associated with a league which is going from strength to strength.”

The new season will start on Saturday, April 29, and run for 20 weeks to Saturday, September 8.

Next season will also see the awarding of a Sportsmanship Trophy, based on scores from submitted scorecards.

The annual presentation evening dinner will be at the Royal York Hotel on Saturday, September 22.

HPH YORK VALE LEAGUE structure 2012

The composition of the league for 2012:

Division 1: Copmanthorpe, Stockton & Hopgrove, Bishopthorpe, Burn, Hemingbrough, North Cave, Clifton Alliance, Wheldrake Ovington, Hirst Courtney.

Division 2: Ben Johnson, Barmby Moor, Westow, Selby, Askham Bryan, Kelfield, Fulfordgate, University of York Staff, Thorpe Willoughby, York RI.

Division 3: Heworth, Thixendale, Melbourne, Malton & Old Malton, North Duffield, Stillingfleet, Welton & Brough, York, Copmanthorpe II, South Cave & Brantingham.

Division 4: Acomb, Goole Town, Ovington II, Bishopthorpe II, Heworth II, Wheldrake II, Burn II, Hemingbrough II.

Division 5: Burton Salmon, Huntington, Pocklington, Dunnington, Thorp Arch & Boston Spa I, Askham Bryan II, Drax, Yapham.

Division 6: Stockton & Hopgrove II, Thorpe Willoughby II, Selby II, Malton & Old Malton II, Woodhouse Grange, Hirst Courtney II, Thorp Arch & Boston Spa II, Stamford Bridge.