You will all by now probably be aware of the impending changes proposed to the youth competitions in the county alongside the new one league. With the SNCL having experienced exponential growth over the past fifteen years delivering popular, successful and well run junior leagues we had hoped that, with our established administrative body and proactive digital platforms, we could continue helping to shape and develop the youth game by expanding the SNCL to include the whole county.

However, the new administrative body is keen to press ahead with the introduction of their own new competitions which mirror those offered in the past by the Junior Alliance and SNCL. The introduction of the tier 2 league in particular, targeting the same clubs as us, would inevitably marginalise our own competition and compromise theirs. There are simply insufficient players and teams to successfully support both second level summer youth league programmes. We therefore do not believe that two identical competitions would be in the best interests of the youth game. As our primary objective has always been to deliver the most appropriate and sustainable formats at junior level we are stepping aside and, most regrettably, closing the SNCL with immediate effect. As our winter zipleague is closely allied to our summer tournament, this will be ending too.

For us, it has been a great fifteen years starting with just a single league of ten teams in 2007 and ending with nearly eighty participants over eleven groups. No other competition in the county has come anywhere close to this level of phenomenal growth.

Before we go, we would like to thank a particular few who have been especially important to us.

• Steve Phoenix of Gt.Melton CC whose club under his guidance has fielded teams in every league since the very start and was a huge supporter of the competition from the very start.
• Richard Jefferson. A great champion of the SNCL and an avid follower of our progress over the years.  His Norfolk Youth Cricket newsletter was for many years the only comprehensive roundup, complete with photos, of all the junior competitions.
• Derek Barnard. Our sponsor for several years and proprietor of one of the last independent sports shops in Norfolk, a mecca for all cricketers. Now sadly no longer with us.
• Shapoor Naghshineh of RCP parking who so generously provided funds for our Cricket Carnivals enabling us to host these events whilst charging the competitors only a nominal fee.
• Robert Gurney who manned the scoreboard at our last two zipleague competitions.
• John Rockliff, Kerry Holl and Michael Thompson our adjudication panel called into action only a handful of times over our fifteen years.
• And to you all; players, coaches, managers, parents and all those who have played a part, however small, in our wonderful cricket adventure. We shall miss you all. Good luck and farewell.