WWII & Post-WWII Experimental Formats and World War II 1933-1945 In 1932-33 Province cricket was introduced. Players from neighbouring clubs merged to form the respective "Provinces." North Perth and West Perth became Central Province; Midland-Guildford and Mount Lawley became North-East Province; Fremantle and North-East Fremantle became Port Province; Claremont and Subiaco became West Province; and East Perth and Southern Suburbs became South-East Province. With the addition of University these six teams formed the elite club competition of the era. The remainder of the teams competed in a separate club competition.The experiment of Province cricket lasted only one season. In 1933-34, the WACA competition returned to District cricket which comprised 11 First Grade clubs who combined to field 12 teams in B1 Grade, nine in B2 Grade and five junior teams. The years of the Second World War witnessed some major adjustments to the WACA competition. The impact of the War reduced the number of players taking part during the next three seasons of 1942-43, 1943-44 and 1944-45. The Cricket Council wished to continue with a re-vamped competition and, through necessity, devised a system of one-day matches for those seasons. The lower grades were replaced by a single (usually six teams) junior competition. World Peace and WA Enters Sheffield Shield Competition 1946-1960 Once peace was signed in 1945, cricketers were anxious to get back to regular competition for the 1945-46 season. The competition reverted to two-day cricket with Southern Suburbs retaining their temporary Wartime position, but had now altered their name to South Perth, the name the club bears today. Fremantle also returned to the fold, making it a First Grade competition of nine teams. The Second Grade competition had ten teams, while Third Grade fielded six teams. With the Wartime difficulties behind them, cricket officials saw a need for standardisation in club, or District, cricket. The Cricket Council decreed that, wherever possible, all First Grade teams should field a team in each of the three lower grades. In 1949-50, the competition comprised 12 teams in each of the four grades. This enabled the introduction of a club championship, with weighted points for each of the grades. For the next eight seasons that was how club cricket was played. SEASON A GRADE B GRADE B2 GRADE B3 GRADE 1932-33 North East Province Nedlands N.E. Fremantle No Competition 1933-34 Claremont Claremont Bassendean Mt Lawley 1934-35 Claremont Nedlands Southern Suburbs Mt Lawley FIRST GRADE SECOND GRADE THIRD GRADE C GRADE 1935-36 North Perth West Perth N.E. Fremantle Perth Boys School 1936-37 Subiaco West Perth N.E. Fremantle Mt Lawley 1937-38 Claremont East Perth North Perth Subiaco 1938-39 North Perth East Perth Mt Lawley North Perth 1939-40 Subiaco East Perth Subiaco Subiaco 1940-41 West Perth Southern Suburbs Mt Lawley Subiaco 1941-42 Claremont East Perth abandoned due to War North Perth 1942-43 Subiaco No Competition No Competition Mt Lawley & Nth Perth No.2 1943-44 West Perth No Competition No Competition Southern Suburbs 1944-45 Claremont-Fremantle No Competition No Competition East Perth (CBC) 1945-46 Subiaco West Perth No Competition South Perth 1946-47 Subiaco Subiaco North Perth South Perth 1947-48 West Perth Mt Lawley Subiaco Nedlands 1948-49 East Perth Nedlands Subiaco North Perth 1949-50 South Perth South Perth North Perth Fremantle 1950-51 Mt Lawley Subiaco Subiaco Subiaco 1951-52 University North Perth Claremont-Cottesloe South Perth 1952-53 South Perth North Perth Claremont-Cottesloe South Perth 1953-54 University South Perth Nedlands Fremantle 1954-55 University Clare-Cott & Fremantle Clare-Cott & Subiaco Sth Perth & West Perth 1955-56 South Perth West Perth University South Perth 1956-57 South Perth Mt Lawley University South Perth 1957-58 North Perth Subiaco University University 1958-59 North Perth University Fremantle Fremantle *North East Province (1932-33 First Grade Premiers) was a combined Mt Lawley and Midland-Guildford team *University forfeited to N.E. Fremantle in the 1932-33 B2 Grade Final *Rain washed out all 1954-55 Finals except First Grade *Where a premier is listed as 'X & Y', joint premiers were declared either through a tie or a washout
