LOW Moor Holy Trinity's first team have had their request to be relegated from the Spenser Wilson Halifax League First Division accepted.

Although two clubs have left the league, five have joined for the 2017 season and, despite finishing bottom, Low Moor were due to stay in the same division, despite being cast adrift at the bottom, as the league announced that 12 teams would play in the Premier Division, eight in the First Division and 12 in the Second Division.

This decision, taken on Thursday January 5, applied to both first and second teams, but Low Moor then contacted the league's executive committee asking to be demoted.

Having finished rock bottom in 2016, they fully expected to be relegated and felt that, although they did not have a player shortage, a similarly disheartening season lay in store in 2017 – to the detriment of the club and the league – if they remained in the First Division.

The league executive committee thought long and hard about the situation and decided to contact Shelf, who had finished third in the Second Division, to see if their first team wished to be promoted.

They did, so the two clubs were swapped, even though that decision has caused difficulty for fixture secretary Peter Taylor.

When that realignment is complete, the fixtures for 2017 will be released.

CONSTITUTION – First teams, Premier Division: Booth, Copley, Jer Lane, Mytholmroyd, Northowram HT, Oxenhope, Queensbury, SBCI, Sowerby St Peter's, Thornton, Triangle, Warley.

First Division: Blackley, Bridgeholme, Cullingworth, Great Horton Park Chapel, Shelf, Southowram, Sowerby Bridge, Stones.

Second Division: Birchencliffe, Bradshaw, Clayton, Greetland, Illingworth St Mary's, Leymoor, Low Moor HT, Luddendenfoot, Mount, Old Town, Outlane, Upper Hopton.

Second teams – Premier Division: Blackley, Booth, Bridgeholme, Copley, Jer Lane, Southowram, Sowerby Bridge, SBCI, Sowerby St Peter's, Thornton, Triangle, Warley.

First Division: Great Horton Park Chapel, Mytholmroyd, Northowram HT, Outlane, Oxenhope, Queensbury, Stones, Upper Hopton.

Second Division: Birchencliffe, Bradley & Colnebridge, Bradshaw, Clayton, Cullingworth, Illingworth St Mary's, Leymoor, Low Moor HT, Luddendenfoot, Mount, Old Town, Shelf.