THE Bradford Premier League have announced that they are all systems go for a full 2021 season.

Clubs at the delayed annual meeting were told that it was the league’s intention to complete a full set of league fixtures, starting on Saturday, April 17 and at their normal length.

In addition, the intention is to hold all four cup competitions throughout the campaign – the Priestley Cup, Jack Hampshire Cup, Priestley Shield and T20 Cup.

Differences, however, are that the normal start time for Saturday league matches is 12.30pm, although on Sundays this becomes 1pm in order to allow for junior matches finishing.

In September, all league matches will start at noon.

In the Priestley Cup, games will be 50 overs per side, beginning at 1pm, but the Priestley Shield will shrink to 40 overs per side, matching it with the Jack Hampshire Cup, where wickets pitched will also be 1pm.

The league are expecting the campaign to begin with sanitisation breaks every six overs and restricted access to clubhouses and changing rooms as per in 2020.

Therefore teams will be allowed 3hr 30min to bowl their 50 overs in league matches, but if a club does not meet these deadlines, then any missed overs or overs not started will each result in six penalty runs and these outstanding will still have to be bowled.

The same deadlines and penalties will apply to the Priestley Cup and Jack Hampshire Cup but not the Priestley Shield.

The Powerplay applies to the opening 12 overs in 40-overs-per-side matches.

Only 32 clubs will be allowed into the Priestley Shield – the 12 Premier Division clubs, plus the first 20 to apply from the other divisions.

The 30-minute rule, where no overs are deducted for adverse weather until at least a half-hour has elapsed, has been removed.

If a match is called off due to Covid-19, the league will do their best to re-arrange it, but if this is not possible or there is a Government circuit breaker or if the season is brought to a premature halt, then an average points-per-game format will be applied.

For promotion and relegation to apply, a minimum of 11 matches must be played. If 16 to 22 matches are held then there will be two up, two down, but if only 11 to 15 matches are played then it will be only one up one down.

If 10 matches or less are held then the season will be ruled null and void and there will be no promotion or relegation.

If a game is called off for reasons other than Covid-19, then the normal penalties will apply.

The Duckworth Lewis Stern method of getting a result in rain-affected matches will be in force in first-team games in the Premier Division and Division One, with a minimum of 20 overs needing to be bowled in the second innings for 10 points to be awarded for a win.

It will also apply in the Priestley Cup, with a minimum of 10 overs per innings for it to apply.

In the Priestley Shield and Jack Hampshire Cup, a comparison of scores after the last completed over will be the tie-breaker.

In all of the other divisions, a comparison of scores after the end of the last completed over will be used to determine the victors, with again a minimum of 20 overs in the second innings being the cut off for a win to apply.

If not the game is ruled to be abandoned.

Meanwhile, leg-side wides will be extended to all first-team matches, but there will be no transfer of overs between innings at any level i.e. if a side batting first are bowled out in 35 overs, the extra 15 or five overs will not be moved across to the side batting second.

Umpires’ expenses have been raised from £45 to £50, and will be £70 if an umpire is standing alone.