Former Lancashire and England one-day star Ian Austin thinks local league cricket - including the Bradford League - should be played under one-day international rules.

That means coloured clothing, leg-side wides, fielding restrictions and, barring a tie, a definite result.

Austin has always stressed the virtues of positive cricket during his two-year tenure as skipper of Cleckheaton, which came to an end last month.

The 38-year-old said at Cleckheaton Cricket Club's annual prize-presentation: "Clubs should be playing for either a win or a loss. It encourages positive cricket.

"If the side that bats first scores 360 and the other side bats out negatively for a point, then that is not cricket. If they score 225 chasing 300 then that is a good game of cricket.

"Bankfoot didn't deserve to stay up in Division One because they played negative cricket in the second half of the season.

"We should be trying to encourage young lads to play positive cricket every week, and that way they will become better cricketers."

Austin added: "If we bring some rules in over fielding positions then it will stop things like Pudsey Congs putting nine men around the boundary over the last 12 or 15 overs of an innings."

As for coloured clothing, which Austin admits he has a vested interest in, he said: "Coloured clothing would give clubs their own identity via their kit.

"And if every club can in addition sell ten shirts to members then there would be several hundred in total to add to those worn by the players."

Austin is quick to point out that coloured clothing isn't revolutionary any more.

He said: "The first international one-day matches with coloured clothing came with Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket in 1978, and there has been coloured clothing at county Sunday matches since 1992, with team nicknames being added in 1999."

Cleckheaton made an unsuccessful attempt to get coloured clothing into the Priestley Cup (and therefore the Shield too) for the 2004 season, having played in red and green kit against Bankfoot in a 2003 tie.

Austin also explained in greater detail why he had gone to Northern League club St Anne's to fill their lucrative post as director of cricket for 2005.

The Red Rose cult hero said: "It is for family reasons. I live in Baxenden, near Accrington, and we have a caravan on the Fylde coast so it would be very handy in that sense. Also St Annes' Cricket Club chairman John Cotton was chairman of my benefit committee so I owe him one."

Meanwhile, Cleckheaton have announced the signing of three all-rounders for next season - all from their neighbours Spen Victoria.

Cleck will be captained by former Lancashire player John Wood, and he will be joined by his brother Ian and Kez Ahmed.