SIXTEEN clubs who have applied to join the expanded Lancashire League for 2017 are to be invited for interviews in January.

The league’s expansion sub-committee met at Rishton on Tuesday night and decided to press ahead with plans to add 10 more teams to the competition, while waiting for the outcome of a meeting with the Lancashire Cricket Board (LCB) and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) next week.

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A number of teams from the Northern League and the Ribblesdale League have applied to join the Lancashire League, which will feature a two-tier system with promotion and relegation if the expansion goes ahead.

But concerns have been raised about the future of the Northern and Ribblesdale Leagues if they lose teams to the Lancashire League, which is why the LCB and ECB have now become involved.

Speaking after Tuesday’s meeting, Mike Bibby, chairman of the Lancashire League, said: “We have decided to proceed with our expansion plans.

“There is a consultation meeting next Thursday with the LCB and the ECB, but we made the decision that rather than wait for the outcome of that meeting we will carry on because it will delay our plans.

“We are now in the process of writing to clubs inviting them to an interview which will be held in January.

“There were 18 clubs who applied but two of them haven’t met the criteria in that they haven’t sought permission from their current league.”

Mr Bibby stressed the decision to press on with the expansion plans wasn’t an affront to the LCB and ECB, and was purely to speed up the process if the boards decided they have no problems with the proposals.

The LCB and ECB are keen to consult with clubs and players to get views of the expansion ideas.

“I’ve no idea what the outcome of that meeting will be,” he said.

“They’ve got concerns about the effect on any other leagues.

“Who is to say that after next Thursday’s meeting they won’t call another meeting because they won’t have reached a conclusion. It could go on and on.

“The LCB and the ECB want to seek the opinion of the clubs and the players about what they want.

“It should be a bit clearer after the meeting next Thursday.

“I’m not holding out hope that we’ll reach a conclusion in that meeting.”

Ten of the 13 Northern League clubs are known to have applied to be part the Lancashire League, with only the three Cumbria-based clubs not making an application.

Clitheroe, Great Harwood, Baxenden, Whalley, Barnoldswick, Settle and Salesbury are also known to have applied from the Ribblesdale League.

While Mr Bibby is confident the Lancashire League can allay the fears of the LCB and ECB, he is not taking any decision on the expansion for granted.

“It may be somewhere down the line that they come back and say ‘sorry you can’t go ahead with it’,” he said.

“I wouldn’t try to second guess what the outcome would be.

“We have our own opinions.

“We’ve got every confidence but whether they have is another matter.”