THE Dales Council League want to trial a loan system next season.

“The basic idea is to stop teams conceding matches or turning out with players short,” explained fixtures secretary Ken Firth after the league’s rules revision meeting at Pudsey Congs.

“It is most likely to help clubs who field third or fourth teams whose first or second teams play in other leagues.”

As is usual with other leagues who are already using the loan system, the club holding the player’s registration would have to agree to the loan, although regular first XI players cannot be loaned.

Loan players would then be registered as such on the Play Cricket site by 10pm on Friday by the club borrowing the player.

Players can be loaned from other leagues as long as they are not regular first-teamers but no-one can be loaned for the last four matches of a season without permission from the league.

Loan players cannot be permanently transferred either in the current season or the season after unless the league and the player’s home club give permission, but there is no limit to the number of times a player can be loaned out.

Junior players (under-18s) must obtain parental permission before they are loaned out but loaned players of any age can be recalled by their home club without the need for a loan transfer form.

The loan-system proposal will go before the league’s annual meeting at Pudsey Congs on Thursday, November 14 (7.45pm).

Ironically the number of conceded matches dropped in the 2019 Dales Council League season compared to 2018.

Firth said: “There were eight concessions in 2019 – seven in the C Division (four from Morley C) and one in the B Division when a wedding affected Leeds Sikh B.

“In 2018, there were four concessions in A Division, four in B Division and three in C Division.”

Other proposed rule changes to go forward were a cleaning charge of £10 per item if league trophies are returned heavily tarnished, and that the first £30 of a fine for late concessions of matches should go to a non-offending home club to cover their expenses and lost revenue.

Among the proposed rule changes that didn’t get a seconder were a reduction to 40 overs per innings and an increase in umpires’ fees to £40 per match (from £35).

•Bradford Moor and Halifax Direct will both start next season with a 40-point deduction after disciplinary trouble during their A Division match on August 31.

In addition, Halifax Direct’s Sajid Mahmood has been suspended for the opening two weeks of next season, with a two-week suspended sentence hanging over him for the rest of the season.

• Dales Council League clubs with a Bradford or Leeds postcode have been asked to send their club history and memorabilia to the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation's Yorkshire Cricket Heritage: A Lasting Legacy project.

Contributions should be sent to Chris Chatten at chris.chatten@yorkshireccc.com