MONMOUTH Cricket Club are back in the Welsh pyramid after a 20-year exile.

The club has been been accepted into Division 3 of the Thomas, Carroll Glamorgan and Monmouthshire League.

Monmouth will be joining newly-promoted Pontymister and Dinas Powys in a 10-team Division 3 in 2012.

Monmouth have played outside the Welsh structure since their move to the Marches League in 1993.

They won the Marches league and cup double in 2003, 2004 and 2005 before switching to the Worcestershire County League in 2006.

Chairman Martin Newell said his club members were thrilled to be back in the Welsh fold.

"Our decision to apply to the Glamorgan and Monmouthshire League was voted unanimously by our members at a packed EGM in December," he said.

"We heard the news of our acceptance last Thursday morning – so it's all happened very quickly.

"We are very thrilled about being accepted into the fold and excited about the prospect of meeting old friends and making some new ones.

"But, most importantly of all, we look forward to giving everyone a warm welcome to Monmouth Cricket Club.

"We have some good people at our club, including Mike Turner, the former chief executive of the Celtic Crusaders."

Monmouth, who are sponsored by JD Wetherspoon, joined the Worcestershire County League in 2006, gaining promotion to Division 2 in their first season.

They have competed in Division 2 for the past five years, finishing third in 2010.

"We are sad to be resigning from the Worcestershire League because it was a very good standard," said Newell.

"But we are a Welsh club and playing in the Cricket Wales bracket is a very exciting prospect as we look to develop our youngsters.

For more on this story, see this week's Beacon (11th January)