Following on from a proposal at the Focus Groups the OCC has decided that all leagues will be decided on a points based system rather than percentages as used in previous years. The aim of this is to encourage the playing of cricket – and the gathering of league points – rather than the protection of a percentage score.
In addition there has been a tweak to the rules in relation to refixing of matches which have been weather affected to try and prevent a backlog towards the end of the season. Under the 2018 rules clubs whose FIRST match is washed out MUST refix that match immediately. If their second league match is washed out they may also refix that match if a date can be agreed. All refixes may be played as a midweek T20 match.
So for example:
Team A is due to play Team B at home on 15/4/2018. The return fixture is on 18/8/2018.
The match on 15/4 is washed out. Rather than like previous years where they would wait to see if the return match was played both teams need to agree a refix date for the 15/4 match immediately.
Should the match on 18/8 be washed out, the teams are allowed to refix that match also, even if they have already played each other once.
It is the hope that the combination of these two regulation changes will see lots of cricket played and the race for points across all the divisions going to the wire at the end of the season.