A PROPOSAL to allow clubs to loan players within the JCT600 Bradford League received a lukewarm reception at the league's rules revision meeting at Pudsey Congs.

The England & Wales Cricket Board are trying to find ways to reduce the number of matches that are either conceded or are played by sides fielding less than 11 players.

"Nationally the number of affected matches has risen dramatically to up to 20 per cent," revealed the league's development officer Alan Birkinshaw.

The league's management board therefore proposed: "To assist in fielding a full side of 11 players, clubs who wish to do so will be allowed to register a maximum of six (non-overseas) players aged 17 or under, prior to the scheduled start of the season who are prepared to play in an 'emergency' for another club's second team without transfer regulations being applied.

"Such registrations will be indicated on a club's list of registered players as loan players.

"In the event of loan players being utilised, both clubs involved should notify details of the players(s) to the registration facilitator by noon on the day of the match."

The rule proposal was seconded by Brighouse, who have had problems themselves in raising 22 players on a Saturday, and it will therefore go forward to be voted on at the league's annual meeting in November.

However, in a non-binding straw poll, the vote was only seven in favour and 14 against.

Another proposal which had lots of merit was even more unpopular.

Hanging Heaton, frustrated that matches which are rain interrupted after they have started are not finishing despite the evening weather being better than that which had gone before, proposed: "Once a match has commenced, no overs shall be deducted from either side should rain intervene.

"Once the umpires deem the ground fit following a rain delay, the match will resume from the point at which it was halted.

"The umpires will have sole control at which point the match will be abandoned should bad light come into force later in the evening."

Their reasoning is: "We feel, by adopting the new rule, it gives weather-affected games more chance of being played to a conclusion.

"On occasions when overs have been deducted, there can be glorious sunshine in the evening but the match is halted due to lost time.

"The ruling where overs are deducted from each side for late starts should remain in place."

Idle seconded the proposed rule change but a straw poll on this was only five in favour but 15 against as clubs were worried that bad light would become an issue at the beginning or end of the season.

Hanging Heaton, who have had difficulty in collecting tea money from opposition players, also proposed that clubs should pay a set fee for teas of, say, £35 to £40, the exact figure to be set by the management board, rather than having to pay for eight teas as at present.

Jamie Abbott (Baildon) suggested that the figure should be £30 or £35 and the straw poll on the idea, after it was seconded by Yeadon, was 12 in favour and eight against.

Brighouse and Windhill were both re-elected to the league 21-0 having finished in the bottom two places in Division Two.