THE Serious Cricket Home Counties Premier League (HCPL) is set to undergo a major restructuring for next season after the Hertfordshire League clubs dramatically voted to quit now.

A meeting of 24 of the leading Saracens Hertfordshire League clubs agreed unanimously at a meeting on Monday night to bring forward a year their plans to form a Hertfordshire Premier League.

It has led to the HCPL cancelling their extraordinary general meeting scheduled for tonight when clubs were due to vote on the committee’s proposal aimed at kicking out the Hertfordshire clubs.

The unexpected turn of events means that 13 Hertfordshire clubs will disappear from the HCPL landscape, along with Division 2 East, leaving 17 clubs.

Farnham Royal are also withdrawing due to players leaving, while Falkland, who were relegated, will receive a reprieve.

With three vacancies in Division 1, Harefield, Aston Rowant and Gerrards Cross – who filled the next three spots in Division 2 West behind champions Oxford – are in line to be promoted.

Division 2 West will simply become Division 2, with the HCPL planning to invite Cherwell League runners-up Shipton-under-Wychwood, Thames Valley League runners-up Finchampstead and Chesham, the best third-placed team from both leagues, to make up the ten clubs.

Shipton vice-chairman Charlie Barrett indicated that they would be keen to take up the HCPL’s invitation.

“Like any ambitious club, we welcome the opportunity to play at a higher level,” he said.

“When we came down, it was with a record number of points – 206 – which would have seen us finish almost mid-table this year.

“We feel we have unfinished business up there.”

The Cherwell have previously stated they wouldn’t sanction Shipton’s promotion.

But league secretary Dick Giles said an extraordinary general meeting could be called, giving the clubs the opportunity to change the constitution and allow Shipton to go up.

That in turn would have a knock-on effect throughout the Cherwell, with the likelihood that one less team would be relegated from each division.

Despite the changes, HCPL secretary Peter Tomlin anticipated that the Home Counties would retain its Premier League status with the ECB.

He added that a committee meeting was due to take place towards the end of the month at which everything would be finalised.

Barry Hellewell, secretary of the Saracens Hertfordshire League, described the meeting of their clubs as “remarkable”.

“It went from the five clubs who voted ‘no’ and being a bit unsure, to all 24 clubs saying ‘yes, let’s do it for 2014,” he said.

He added that they were breaking away for a series of reasons, including the length of games, travelling, the way the HCPL was administered, and that the purpose the league was formed hadn’t worked.

PROPOSED HCPL RESTRUCTURE. Div 1: Henley, Slough, Banbury, Burnham, High Wycombe, Tring Park, Oxford, Harefield, Aston Rowant, Gerrards Cross.

Div 2: Reading, Great & Little Tew, Dinton, Cove, Falkland, Amersham, Horspath, Finchampstead, Shipton-under-Wychwood, Chesham.