Captains of Long Melford, Gestingthorpe, Cavendish, Bures, Leavenheath and Halstead cricket teams form Essex and Suffolk T20 League

The captains of six village cricket teams have banded together to form a new midweek T20 league to save the sport they love.

The inaugural season of the Essex and Suffolk T20 League – with teams from Long Melford, Gestingthorpe, Cavendish, Leavenheath, Bures and High Street Rangers – will kick off on May 16.

The captains have seen the village game struggle over recent years due to the longer formats and family lives getting in the way of weekend cricket.

They hope, by playing in a 20-over league on a weeknight, it will open up the game to more people and help to keep their clubs – some of which are more than 100 years old – alive.

The league is being sponsored by Lee Stock Festival and over the course of the season it will support two charities, The Willow Foundation and Movember.

Chris Pluck, captain of Gestingthorpe, is the league chairman and came up with the idea at the start of last season. After speaking with the other captains over the course of several months, he saw there was a big appetite for a T20 league.

He said: “We want to try and keep small village clubs alive that may not want to play in a main league, but we’re also hoping to inject a bit of enthusiasm and excitement into village cricket and get more people involved.

“It will help the smaller clubs generate a bit of extra income, and it’s going to be exciting and thrilling to see the game played out in the shorter format and support two great causes.”

Chris added the new league will be a great opportunity for people new to the game or wanting to try cricket out to be introduced to it, as well as a chance to make new friends, stay fit and boost mental wellbeing.

The league will use pink balls for safety in its evening games, while teams can use their existing whites and not have to worry about sight screens.

Jason Wade, chairman of Long Melford, said the new league will help to keep youngsters involved in the sport and ease the transition into senior cricket.

“We want to keep the youngsters interested,” said Jason. "The transition from youth cricket is a bit of a step up, and the shorter format helps to keep that engagement.

“T20 is televised everywhere, every sports channel has the IPL and The Hundred, so it’s more widely known and more popular. By doing this, were hoping to engage the youngsters more, as well as those who can’t play on weekends, it opens up that avenue.”

Jason expressed his thanks to Matt and Edd Keogh, from Lee Stock Festival, who are producing the league’s winners trophy.

To speed the game up, the EST20 will play 10 overs from one end and then 10 from the other to save on field-change times, while the maximum run-up length will be 10 yards.

It will have a six-over powerplay like in major leagues, with only three fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle in the first period, and then a maximum of five thereafter.

Luke Terry, league secretary and Bures captain, said the new league will hugely benefit his club from a participation perspective.

“I think Bures is mainly struggling as, on the weekends, it can be difficult to get a team together,” Luke said.

“We’re hoping by playing against some new teams and during the week, we will be able to keep our existing players in the game as well as bring more players to the club.”

The final will be held at Long Melford’s Meeting Field ground on August 1. It will be free to attend, but guests will be encouraged to donate to the charities on the door and throughout the night.

While the teams are set for this season, the EST20 is looking at expanding next year, and would like to hear from village and smaller clubs who would be interested in joining.

It is also open for further sponsorship opportunities from interested parties.