The JCT600 Bradford League have set up a working party to look into avoiding evening play in future years in the Sovereign Health Care Priestley Cup and Shield competitions.

Alan Birkinshaw, the league’s media and marketing manager, said: “The current rule, which means play continues on midweek evenings, was drafted years ago when players lived just down the road from their ground and worked from nine to five.

“Now, however, in the 21st century some players work as representatives and travel country-wide, while others live many miles from their clubs, and it has become increasingly difficult to have evening ties without discrediting the competitions.

“Clubs might have two, three or more players missing and it could make the match a farce.

“And we also have the problem of the cost of fuel. Even this season we had Hanging Heaton travelling all the way to Yeadon across town during the rush hour.”

Birkenshaw added: “Also the weather patterns seem to be changing and rain has affected the cups for the past two seasons. Is it realistic any more to ask players to return in the evenings?”

The working party, which will be headed by chief executive Bob Shackleton and includes representatives from the players (Babar Butt), umpires (Tom Priestley) and clubs (Mick Illingworth), will be reviewing the problems of the last two seasons.

It is hoped they will make proposals for rule changes ahead of this year’s rules revision meeting on Thursday, September 25.

Among the ideas they will be looking at are having set reserve dates for every round of the cups and whether reduced-overs games can be used to resolve rain-hit ties.

Birkinshaw said: “The working party will be looking at all the options.

“For example, we would have to decide what to do if a match cannot be completed on either the original date or the reserve date. Would we then go to an evening, would there be a bowl-out or even a Twenty20 match?”