BINGLEY Congs will be fielding a third team next season in the Mewies Solicitors Craven League, which evens up the number of teams in the bottom two divisions.

Unanimously voted in at the league's November meeting at Cross Hills Social Club, they will share Oakworth Thirds' ground at Bronte Fields.

Meanwhile, the league's executive committee have proposed that Divisions Four and Five be merged, with the 20 clubs split into two divisions of ten.

Each club will play the other in their section home and away, making 18 fixtures, with the remaining four Saturdays filled with opponents picked at random from the other section.

However, Chatburn proposed a shorter season of 18 matches, leaving two weeks free both at the start and end of the season, the proposal being seconded by Bingley Congs.

There was a concern that a club in the lower section could have a fantastic season and find themselves in a promotion position and end up in Division Three.

Secretary Ann Coe said that she would give this some thought and report back to the December meeting.

Another concern was that Bingley Congs' second team cannot be relegated from Division Three as they now have a third team in Division Four.

Meanwhile, Oakworth representative Michael Davison said that he wanted the executive committee to continue running the league.

He noted that they had only been doing so for two years and that there had been some difficult times, but he felt that they had been operating with one hand tied behind their backs.