THE dreadful winter weather has led to the postponement of the opening fixtures in the Liverpool and District Cricket Competition.

Groundsmen simply have not had the time or conditions to properly prepare the strips so the season will now not begin until April 20 with games in the group stages of the Bridging Finance Solutions Trophy.

The first fixtures which were scheduled for April 13 have now been put back to the Bank Holiday Monday May 6.

Meanwhile the Competition is negotiating with new sponsors after the withdrawal of Bridging Finance Solutions.

Local clubs engaged in the various divisions of the Competition in the coming months are Birkenhead Park, New Brighton, Parkfield Liscard, Birkenhead St Mary’s, Caldy and Wallasey.

Neston and Oxton will feature in the Premier Division of the Cheshire County League with Irby in Division Two.

Upton will play in Division One of the Meller Braggins Cheshire League and Wirral in Division Three.

The Cheshire Alliance includes in the first three divisions Old Parkonians, Ellesmere Port, Port Sunlight, Tranmere Vics and Eastham Bromborough.

Most leagues apart from the Liverpool Comp have a start date of April 20.

The Merseyside Competition sadly has now folded after over 75 years and the clubs which were left at the end of last season have now moved into the Cheshire Association, the Southport and District League and the Liverpool Competition 3rd XI scene.