Excessive travelling avoided following new league set-up

Cleckheaton play against Pudsey St Lawrence in this year's Bradford League before the revamp. Picture: Steve Riding.

A 12-team Premier League will operate, with two feeder championship divisions of 12 clubs and a Conference of 13 teams. The independent Second XI competition will have similar divisions. This replaces the original plan of having two championships of 10 with inter-divisional fixtures.

League chairman David Young said: “By increasing the championships to 12 teams, there will be no need for inter-divisional games, which were proving difficult to arrange in a balanced way alongside an independent Second XI competition.

“The increase in the championship divisions to 12 will assist fixture arranging and there will be no planned Sunday league games throughout all our divisions.

“In constructing the championship divisions we have tried to achieve a good mix of clubs from both the Bradford League and the Central Yorkshire League, while in the associated Second XI competition the mix is not quite as strong because we have endeavoured, where possible, to avoid excessive travelling.”

The composition of the Second XI divisions has also been altered and will see Bankfoot, Bowling Old Lane and Brighouse playing in the opposite section to their first team as they have been moved to the more westerly of the divisions with Azaad, Batley and East Ardsley being placed in the more easterly one.

Premier Division: Bradford & Bingley, Cleckheaton, East Bierley, Farsley, Hanging Heaton, Lightcliffe, Morley, New Farnley, Pudsey Congs, Pudsey St Lawrence, Scholes, Woodlands.

Championship A: Baildon, Batley, Birstall, Hunslet Nelson, Idle, Keighley, Liversedge, Ossett, Saltaire,Undercliffe, Windhill, Yeadon.

Championship B: Altofts, Bankfoot, Bowling Old Lane, Brighouse, Carlton, Gomersal, Hartshead Moor, Hopton Mills, Methley, Spen Victoria, Townville, Wrenthorpe.

Premier Seconds: East Bierley, Farsley, Hanging Heaton, Lightcliffe, Morley, New Farnley, Pudsey Congs, Pudsey St Lawrence, Saltaire, Undercliffe, Woodlands, Yeadon.

Championship A Seconds: Baildon, Bankfoot, Birstall, Bowling Old Lane, Bradford & Bingley, Brighouse, Cleckheaton, Idle, Keighley, Ossett, Scholes, Windhill.

Championship B Seconds: Altofts, Azaad, Batley, Carlton, East Ardsley, Gomersal, Hartshead Moor,Hopton Mills, Methley, Spen Victoria, Wakefield St Michael’s, Wrenthorpe.

Conference: Adwalton, Azaad, Buttershaw St Paul’s, Crossbank, East Ardsley, East Leeds, Gildersome, Great Preston, Heckmondwike, Oulton, Rodley, Wakefield St Michael’s, Northowram Fields.

Conference Seconds: Adwalton, Buttershaw St Paul’s, Crossbank, East Leeds, Gildersome, Great Preston, Heckmondwike, Hunslet Nelson, Liversedge, Oulton, Rodley, Townville, Northowram Fields.