Special feats for UWI and Empire: BCA promotion and relegation – Part 2

In 14 seasons of the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) promotion and relegation system, University of West (UWI) and Empire are the only teams boasting of winning as many as seven matches in a season en route to capturing the Championship.

Promotion/relegation was implemented in 2009 with 16 teams (there were no competitions in 2020 and 2021 because of Covid) in what was still known for over a century as the First Division before it was rebranded as the Elite Division from 2012 with a settled number of 10 teams.

UWI earned their seven victories in 2012 as they amassed 146 points including 88 match points.

Two seasons later, Empire, in the 100th anniversary of the famous Bank Hall club, also raced to seven wins in finishing with 145 points including a record 90 match points.

In 2011, UWI romped to 147 points – the most ever achieved in a single season.

In the period under review, UWI have won the most titles (seven) including one shared – 2009, 2010 (shared with Spartan), 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2018; Spartan two – 2010 (shared with UWI) and 2019; Empire two – 2014 and 2023; Maple one – 2013; St Catherine one – 2016; Wildey one – 2022; and Wanderers one – 2024.

Following are teams’ positions with points and demotions (also the promoted teams) from 2009: NB: Barbados Youth (later renamed BCA Youth) are exempt from demotion.

2009: UWI 146 (5 wins, 1 loss, 64 matches, 38 batting, 44 bowling), Carlton 142, Empire 130, Pickwick 129, Spartan 120, Barbados Youth 120, LIME 118, Wanderers 117, Maple 115, YMPC 109, Banks 107, Police 104, St Catherine 101, BDFSP 91, Bristol 90, BCL 87.

NB: Demoted to the Upper Intermediate division – BDFSP, Bristol and BCL. Promoted – Dover.

2010: Spartan 132 (6 wins, 0 losses, 70 matches, 20 batting, 42 bowling), UWI 132 (2 wins, 2 losses, 48 matches, 37 batting, 47 bowling), Carlton 128, Empire 117, St Catherine 104, Maple 103, YMPC 102, Pickwick 100, Banks 98, LIME 94, Wanderers 90, Barbados Youth 78, Police 71, Dover 45. NB: Demoted – Wanderers, Police and Dover. Promoted: BDFSP.

2011: UWI 147 (6 wins, 0 losses, 83 matches, 22 batting, 42 bowling), Maple 136, St Catherine 105, Empire 98, Spartan 96, BDFSP 83, Pickwick 80, Carlton 80, Banks 79, LIME 66, YMPC 64, Barbados Youth 49. NB: Demoted – Banks, LIME and YMPC. Promoted – Police.

2012 (Rebranded as Elite division): UWI 146 (7 wins, 0 losses, 88 matches, 26 batting, 32 bowling), Empire 99, Maple 96, Spartan 93, Pickwick 88, Carlton 76, St Catherine 66, BDFSP 61, Barbados Youth 52, Police 49. NB: Demoted – Police. Promoted – LIME.

2013: Maple 111 (4 wins, 0 losses, 61 matches, 18 batting, 32 bowling), UWI 102, Empire 96, Pickwick 85, Spartan 76, LIME 72, St Catherine 68, BDFSP 56, Barbados Youth 51, Carlton 49. NB: Demoted – Carlton. Promoted – Wanderers.

2014: Empire 145 (7 wins, 0 losses, 90 matches, 22 batting, 33 bowling), UWI 99, Maple 97, Pickwick 79, Spartan 76, St Catherine 73, Wanderers 66, BDFSP 64, LIME 58, Barbados Youth 23. NB: Demoted – LIME. Promoted – Wildey (formerly known as Banks and Banks Wildey).

2015: UWI 138 (6 wins, 1 loss, 78 matches, 24 batting, 36 bowling), St Catherine 123, Wanderers 98, Wildey 89, BDFSP 80, Empire 80, Spartan 72, Maple 60, Pickwick 55, Barbados Youth 32. NB: Demoted – Pickwick. Promoted – Police.

2016: St Catherine 104 (4 wins, 2 losses, 55 matches, 13 batting, 36 bowling), Empire 102, Wanderers 92, Spartan 86, UWI 79, Maple 77, Wildey 72, BDFSP 71, Police 49, Barbados Youth 28. NB: Demoted – Police. Promoted – Pickwick.

2017: UWI 114 (4 wins, 0 losses, 59 matches, 19 batting, 36 bowling), Empire 97, Spartan 83, Wanderers 83, BDFSP 82, Wildey 74, St Catherine 72, Maple 69, Pickwick 64, Barbados Youth 33. NB: Demoted – Pickwick. Promoted – Gladiola (formerly known as Cable & Wireless, BET and LIME).

2018: UWI 131 (6 wins, 0 losses, 79 matches, 18 batting, 34 bowling), BDFSP 107, Wildey 103, Gladiola 94, St Catherine 90, Spartan 87, Empire 77, Wanderers 62, Maple 49, Barbados Youth 41. NB: Demoted – Maple. Promoted – Carlton.

2019: Spartan 119 (5 wins, 0 losses, 70 matches, 19 batting, 30 bowling), Empire 111, Wildey 96, Wanderers 83, Carlton 80, Gladiola 75, UWI 70, Barbados Youth 59, BDFSP 57, St Catherine 40. NB: Demoted – St Catherine. Special note: Following no competitions in 2020 and 2021 because of Covid and then with BDFSP withdrawing from the 2022 season, St Catherine were allowed to remain. Promoted – YMPC.

2020: No Competition because of Covid.

2021: No Competition because of Covid.

2022: Wildey 115 (5 wins, 0 losses, 66 matches, 17 batting, 32 bowling), YMPC 100, Empire 88, Spartan 88, Gladiola 82, UWI 78, Wanderers 76, Carlton 74, St Catherine 66, Barbados Youth 35. NB: Demoted – St Catherine. Promoted – Yorkshire, for the first time ever.

2023: Empire 106 (5 wins, 2 losses, 63 matches, 13 batting, 30 bowling), Wildey 104, YMPC 84, Gladiola 82, Spartan 77, UWI 72, Yorkshire 66, Wanderers 57, Carlton 36, BCA Youth 28. NB: Demoted – Carlton. Promoted – Pickwick.

2024: Wanderers 97 (3 wins, 3 losses, 46 matches, 24 batting, 27 bowling), Wildey 88, Pickwick 87, Empire 83, YMPC 81, Yorkshire 73 (3 wins, NRPWR -10.649), UWI 73 (2 wins, NRPWR +1.279), Gladiola 73 (1 win, NRPWR -0.202), Spartan 73 (1 win, NRPWR -1.603), BCA Youth 29. NB: Demoted – Spartan. Promoted – Windward, for the first time ever.

Keith Holder is a veteran, award-winning freelance sports journalist, who has been covering local, regional and International cricket since 1980 as a writer and commentator. He has compiled statistics on the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) Division 1 (rebranded Elite in 2012) Championship for over four decades and provides statistics and stories for the BCA website (www.barbadoscricket.org). Email: Keithfholder@gmail.com