PSUK Knockout Competition 2024 Cancelled with Immediate Effect

This was an extremely difficult decision to make.

Several alternatives were considered, with matches being played end of August, into September, or even holding the semis and finals in April 2025 before next year’s championships started. Venues for the Semi-finals had already been booked, finals day was set in stone and there would have been no alternative date to have played at Northants.

If alternative dates were to be considered, this would have meant 4 sides cancelling leave, and then attempting have leave authorised at short notice. Some teams would not be able to get the same strength side out, logistically it would extremely difficult exercise to meet.

Putting the logistics to one side, the national resourcing that was required to Police the violent disorders across the UK was almost unprecedented, and the unpredictable nature of where and who would be holding demonstrations, meant 1000s of officers had to be deployed or be on standby, with AL and RDs cancelled at short noticed. Over 6000 officers we deployed nationally on the day of the Semi-finals.

The violence saw many officers being injured whilst trying to protect our Towns and Cities and keep the peace. It just did not sit right that we continued with our competition and play the semi-finals at such a time, that our colleagues were getting hurt whilst on duty.

The North Western Alliance geographically were at the heart of the troubles. Not only did Merseyside have to deal with the horrendous triple murders of three young girls, but also the large scale violent disorder that ensued. This meant they simply would not be able to field a side for the Semi Final, and understandably so.

When considering the cancellation of the 2024 Championships the critical factors were:

Unprecedented National Demand: The current national landscape has seen an unparalleled demand for our services and resources. This has stretched our policing capacity beyond what we can reasonably accommodate while maintaining the high standards expected of the PSUK Cricket Championships.

Exceptionally Stretched Resources: The increased demand has led to a significant strain on our resources. Our teams and facilities are operating at maximum capacity, leaving no room to effectively manage and execute the semi-finals and finals within this season.

Public Perception and Organisational Reputational Harm: Continuing under the current circumstances would risk not only the integrity of the competition but also the reputation of the Police as an organisation. Ensuring public trust and maintaining our reputation is paramount, and proceeding with compromised resources would jeopardise this.

Whilst it may not have been a popular decision, it was nevertheless the correct one to make.

I would like to thank the Chair of PSUK Cricket for his support and endorsement of the difficult decision to cancel the remainder of the 2024 championships, and the support that has been shown by many members of the senior leadership teams across the UK. We will come back stronger in 2025.