THE 2020 Cornwall Cricket League season has been cancelled.

All regular league divisions and cup competitions will not run this year and will begin again 2021, with league constitutions remaining as they are.

The decision to cancel all competitions was hinted at in a previous statement by CCL chairman Mark Mitchell last week, who said a formal league season "almost certainly cannot now be arranged".

The 2020 season, which was due to have begun on April 18, would have reached its 11th week and halfway point last weekend, meaning a half seaosn would still have been possible if play was to begin in the next week or two and the season could be extended to the end of September.

But with some clubs unable to play past the regular mid-September deadline and with the ECB still awaiting permission from the Government to allow recreational cricket, the decision has been made to cancel the season.

READ MORE: League to draw up new one-off competition as it admits formal season is unlikely

A one-off replacement competition is set to run instead, with the league to look at how many weeks are left of the season once cricket can restart before putting together together provisional plans for some sort of organised competition.

A survey will then be distributed to clubs, asking for a definite commitment to playing in that competition, before the League Management Committee draws up fixtures and rules for the competition.

Mitchell also added in last week's statement that the league will allow a short period for clubs to play friendly matches almost immediately once the England and Wales Cricket Board announces that permission to play has been granted, and that the league will circulate a list of clubs and teams that have indicated that they are ready to play to help teams find opponents.

Mitchell's statement on Friday read: "It has been a frustrating week, but we have now reached a point from where we can make some decisions.

"Wednesday’s ECB Premier Leagues’ Zoom call was cancelled, and yesterday’s update from ECB began:

'Following the submission of our revised guidance to the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport at the start of the week we are waiting for UK Government approval before we can provide any further update on the return of play for recreational cricket. We will be in contact as soon as we have an update to share.'

"Separately, you may also have seen the extremely detailed and restrictive document regarding opening your clubhouses: It makes rather grim reading!

"What all of this points to is that there is no real virtue in stringing everyone along in the hope of being able to play even a full half of the League season, not least because many clubs would not be able to play after September 12; Indeed, some not at all.

"We cannot proceed with the League divisions, with or without promotion and relegation, with some clubs unable to take part, through no fault of their own.

It added: "Sadly, it now seems virtually certain that proper, restriction-free, 11-a-side cricket will not now be played at all in 2020."