THERE is a double dose of exciting Twenty20 action in store at Ernest Pass tomorrow, as Barrow CC take on Kendal and Penrith.

A Saturday showpiece of the short format of the game is both a first for the club and for the Northern League, which has decided to revamp its T20 competition to give it a new lease of life.

A window in the fixture list – caused by Darwen’s withdrawal from the league – provided a perfect opportunity for T20 to fill the void, and experienced Barrow CC all-rounder and former club captain Daryl Wearing welcomed the decision.

“It should be quite exciting and help improve the competition in general,” said Wearing, who explained the background behind the revamp.

“Over the last couple of years the NPCL T20 competition has lost a bit of credibility.

“Due to work commitments, time restraints and the amount of cricket being played, clubs were finding it a real struggle to be able to put strong sides out on a weekday evening, with some fixtures not even being completed at all.

“During discussions between the clubs and the league, many people stated that we needed to raise the bar and put more emphasis on the competition in general.

“Across the world, T20 cricket is obviously booming and is now seen by many as the only way to keep guys interested in playing the game.

“With that in mind, it was decided that we would change the general structure of the leagues and introduce a T20 competition for the second teams, which should be great for clubs.

“Many second and third-team cricketers have never really had the opportunity to play the T20 format, so it will hopefully allow them to get involved in the excitement of T20 cricket.

“North One League, which included Barrow, Kendal, Penrith and Netherfield, was a particular challenge, mainly due to the distance clubs were having to travel on a Tuesday, Thursday or Friday evening.

“With Darwen leaving the NPCL, it has allowed there to be a restructure this year, with Netherfield joining Lancaster and Morecambe in the North Two League. The southern-based T20 leagues have stayed the same, with Fleetwood, St Annes and Blackpool and Leyland, Chorley and Preston grouped together.

“Again, due to Darwen leaving the league, it meant that there was a free weekend so the first round of games could be played this Saturday.”

There will be a second round of games held in June and a final round of games in early July.

Each team will play each other home and away, with the winners of each group qualifying for the Finals Day, to be held at the end of July. Fixtures are as follows.

T20 Division One: Tomorrow: Noon: Barrow v Kendal, Lancaster v Morecambe, Blackpool v Fleetwood, Chorley v Preston; 3.30pm: Barrow v Penrith, Lancaster v Netherfield, Blackpool v St Annes, Chorley v Leyland.

Sunday, June 18: Noon: Kendal v Penrith, Morecambe v Netherfield, St Annes v Blackpool, Leyland v Chorley; 3.30 pm: Kendal v Barrow, Morecambe v Lancaster, St Annes v Fleetwood, Leyland v Preston.

Sunday, July 2: Noon: Penrith v Barrow, Netherfield v Lancaster, Fleetwood v St Annes, Preston v Leyland; 3.30 pm: Penrith v Kendal, Netherfield v Morecambe, Fleetwood v Blackpool, Preston v Chorley.

T20 Division Two: Tomorrow: Noon: Kendal v Penrith, Morecambe v Netherfield, Fleetwood v St Annes, Leyland v Chorley; 3.30 pm: Kendal v Barrow, Morecambe v Lancaster, Fleetwood v Blackpool, Leyland v Preston.

Sunday, June 18: Noon: Penrith v Barrow, Netherfield v Lancaster, Blackpool v Fleetwood, Preston v Leyland 3.30 pm: Penrith v Kendal, Netherfield v Morecambe, Blackpool v St Annes, Preston v Chorley

Sunday, July 2: Noon: Barrow v Kendal, Lancaster v Morecambe, St Annes v Blackpool, Chorley v Preston.