A plea that coloured clothing and pink balls was too expensive for clubs to afford was shot down in flames at the Bradford Premier League’s annual meeting at Cleckheaton Sports Club.

The regulation that all clubs must wear coloured clothing in the Priestley Cup was imposed on clubs by the league’s management board, but Baildon’s league representative Danny Bell said: “Coloured clothing is a big outlay - £500 to £600 - and what happens if we lose a pink ball in the Priestley Cup in the 30th over?”

However, his argument was given short shrift by league chairman Billy Holmes, who said: “Cricket is an expensive sport and if you can’t afford it then don’t pay your players so much.

“It is the price that you pay for playing in a Premier League and is something that you have to live with.”

Woodlands’ Brian Pearson, who resigned from the management board last summer, said: “Clubs should be made aware beforehand of any rule changes that have a financial implication.

“Clubs haven’t been asked about this. It has come from a player survey in 2022 when only 400 players responded.”

Meanwhile, it is proposed that matches in all first XI games in the Bradford Premier League, plus second XI fixtures in the Premier Division and Division One (i.e. all 50-over league cricket), will have noon starts throughout the season, apart from in September when games will commence at 11.30am.

Matches of 45 overs per side could well remain with 12.30pm starts, going to noon in September.

It is also proposed that there will be no increase in subscriptions for clubs or in umpires’ fees, while the 30-minute cumulative allowance for weather-related late starts could be re-introduced before any overs are lost.

However, clubs might now only have 3hr 10min to bowl their 50 overs rather than 3hr 20min, but any time gained in the first innings by dismissing a side or bowling 50 overs in under 3hr 10min might be transferred to the time allowed in the second innings.

It is proposed that the tea interval be extended to half an hour from 25 minutes, while the six-run penalty for failing to bowl the allotted overs in time may well be abolished.

But penalties could still exist and for a first offence, teams may be cautioned and might have an extra fielder in the fielding circle for incomplete overs.

For a second offence clubs might have an extra fielder inside the fielding circle for incomplete overs, plus a one-point deduction, and for the third offence club might have an extra fielder inside the circle for every incomplete over, a further one-point deduction and possible sanction against the captain.

It is proposed that the points gained in a tied match be reduced from seven points to five (plus bonus points) as clubs that have tied matches could gain 17 points, which is equal to or more than some clubs have gained for winning matches.

Clubs will have the chance to have their say on the proposed rule changes by early February, and they will then be ratified at a subsequent  management board meeting.