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Palace Shield

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Palace Shield, officially known as the MHA Palace Shield for sponsorship reasons, is a cricket competition based in Preston and surrounding districts in Lancashire, England. There are eight divisions in the main Saturday competition, three Sunday leagues, a Twenty20 competition and a junior competition.

Test cricketers such as Andrew Flintoff and Simon Kerrigan began their careers in the Palace Shield, although it remains a competition for amateurs only. Richard Gleeson who played One Day International and Twenty20 Cricket for England Cricket Team also played in the competition.

In 2024,[1] changes were made to the competition which saw a coalition between the Northern Premier Cricket League (NCPL), the Palace Shield and the Westmorland Cricket League. It resulted in the NCPL becoming a two-division league, leaving the Palace Shield as an amateur competition and incorporating the Westmorland League into the pyramid in a more recognised fashion than previously. Division One and Division Two of the NCPL will have ten teams, as will the Palace Shield Premier Division.[2]

Clubs

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Teams for the 2025 season:[3]

Palace Shield Premier Division (10 teams)

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  • Eccleston
  • Fylde
  • Heysham
  • Lancaster
  • Morecambe
  • Penrith
  • Preston
  • Rufford
  • Torrisholme
  • Westgate

Northern Premier Cricket League Division One (10 teams)

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  • Blackpool
  • Chorley
  • Fleetwood
  • Fulwood & Broughton
  • Garstang
  • Kendal
  • Leyland
  • Longridge
  • Netherfield
  • Settle

Northern Premier Cricket League Division Two (10 teams)

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  • Barrow
  • Carlisle
  • Carnforth
  • Euxton
  • Great Eccleston
  • Mawdesley
  • Penwortham
  • St Annes
  • Thornton-Cleveleys
  • Vernon Carus

References

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  1. ^ "Nathan Walmsley blows away Torrisholme to seal Penwortham’s top-six position in Palace Shield"Lancashire Post, 23 September 2024
  2. ^ "Changes to NPCL and Palace Shield for the 2025 season"The Gazette, 22 April 2024
  3. ^ Diver, Alex. "2025 Divisions Confirmed". www.palaceshieldcricket.co.uk. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
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