The Mewies Solicitors Craven League are bidding to close a loophole regarding Sunday league players.

Current Yorkshire Cricket Board regulations only cover affiliated Sunday leagues, which means players from unaffiliated Sunday competitions could play Saturday league cricket without requiring a transfer form.

The proposed rule change – backed by the Craven League’s executive committee – has come from Oakworth, who came across the loophole this summer when facing Haworth Road.

Their league representative Michael Davison said: “Two Sunday league players played against us last summer and the club wasn’t trying to pull the wool over anybody’s eyes.

“They contacted a Craven League official (Ann Coe) to check that it was okay to play these players.”

Davison added: “We aren’t trying to stop people playing Sunday cricket and Saturday cricket but we want to make sure that the players have been properly transferred and have no financial debts or bans imposed from their Sunday club or league.

“We want the legislation tightening up and merely want to close what we see as a loophole.”

The proposal, which has been supported by the Craven League’s executive committee, states: “A player who is playing Sunday league cricket, or has only played Sunday league in the past two seasons, is not a free agent.

“If that player wants to play in our league, he or she will need to get written confirmation on club letter-headed paper signed by their club secretary that they have no objections to the player playing in the Craven League on a Saturday.”

Some club delegates objected to the proposed rule change because players often need to be called up at short notice and getting a statement like that completed would be difficult, but the rule proposal will go forward to the Craven League annual meeting on Monday, December 10 at Skipton LMS Sports Club.

Bob Shackleton, the JCT600 Bradford League representative on the YCB, said: “If leagues are not affiliated, there is nothing that we can do about it.

“Ian Livesey, the YCB’s disciplinsary and transfer officer, has been trying to get the YCB, and ultimately the ECB, to take this on board but we are getting no response.”

Meanwhile, Wilsden want a change in the Craven League points system, with a win gaining six points (instead of three), a tie three points (instead of two) and a draw one point.

They propose if overs are equal and the team batting first scores more runs than the team batting second, but does not bowl them out, they should be given five points and the team batting second one point. However, if the team batting second scores 75 per cent of the first team’s score, Wilsden want them to be given two points and the winners four.

Wilsden also suggest all matches start at 1.30pm, while Oakworth want matches in September to start at 1pm instead of 1.30pm as