MEWIES Solicitors Craven League champions Ingrow St John’s have folded.

Saints, who are the defending champions but also won Division One in 2014, have not had their lease renewed at Street Lane and have been told to remove all their equipment from the ground.

Attempts have been made via the YCB to re-negotiate the lease, and the club have also looked for an alternative ground, both without success.

League fixture secretary Trevor Coe has issued a statement which reads: “Ingrow St John’s received a text from their landlady to advise them to remove all their equipment from the ground at Street Lane.

“Their lease for season 2018 will not be renewed.

“Steve Archer, the YCB development manager for West Yorkshire, has tried to contact the landlady to try and negotiate a new lease, without any success.

“The club has tried to find a replacement ground, but that hasn’t been possible. The situation now is our Division One champions for the 2017 season have unfortunately folded.”

Sandy Lane are not entering a second team in 2018, so Riddlesden, who finished in a relegation place with them in Division Three, will now stay up.

Oakworth II will not be demoted from Division Two, but Eldwick & Gilstead will be promoted as the third-placed team in Division Three."

The statement continued: "Division Three will be two teams short, and the two teams from 4A who finished in third and fourth place (Hepworth & Idle II and Haworth II) will be promoted.

"Then we get to Division Four. It has been agreed to have one division with 16 teams in it. Teams will play the majority of their opposition home and away, then some teams once and unfortunately there will be opponents they don't play at all. This is due to ground availability.

"The executive committee are to put a proposal to the clubs at an extraordinary general meeting in March.

"At the end of season 2018, teams will be placed into five divisions - four divisions of 10 and a fifth division of 12 teams - for the 2019 season.

"The season will start a week later and the three spare weekends will be used for the cup competitions.

"This proposal is clearly for the clubs to consider and it will be their vote that counts."