Player ill discipline has been highlighted as the major reason that the JCT600 Bradford League are struggling for umpires.

The league, whose second-team matches last season had only one umpire in 48.5 per cent of cases, have been proactive in trying to recruit more officials.

They have already arranged four group meetings, with a fifth at Bradford & Bingley next Tuesday, and league president Keith Moss said: “That 48.5 per cent statistic simply cannot continue, and abuse of umpires was given at all these meetings as the prime reason why there is such a shortage of umpires.

“The answer is simple on discipline – don’t do it. We will be taking a strong line on discipline next year. Board members Alan Carter and Brian Pearson will be looking at all aspects of it, and it will be up to everyone to support them.”

Umpires’ representative Carter said: “We have got two new umpires via the club meetings and two more via publicity in the Telegraph & Argus.”

Meanwhile, both JCT600 (Bradford League) and Sovereign Health Care (Priestley Cup and Priestley Shield) confirmed that they will continue as sponsors for another two years.

League treasurer David Young, who admitted in his role as chief executive officer that it had been a difficult year with the expulsion of Bankfoot from the Priestley Cup and Manningham Mills from the league, reported a profit of £402 on the year ended September 30, 2013.

He also took the opportunity to publically apologise to Bankfoot if he had given any misleading information that led to them being thrown out of the cup due to playing overseas professional Ankit Rawat when he wasn’t eligible.

Only one rule change was brought to the annual meeting – that clubs can hold non-cricketing activities, which are often major fund-raisers, on Priestley Cup final day. It was carried unanimously.

Members of the management board, including the club and player representatives, were all re-elected en bloc.