PLANS to expand the Lancashire League for the 2017 season have been dealt a blow after the Lancashire Cricket Board (LCB) and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) came out against the proposals.

The Lancashire League wanted to add 10 teams to the competition and had invited the 16 clubs who applied to interviews in January.

But the LCB and ECB have been holding a consultation with clubs and other leagues after concerns that the expansion could spell the end for the Northern and Ribblesdale Leagues and the Palace Shield.

Bobby Denning, managing director of the Lancashire Cricket Board, said: "The LCB and ECB do not support the expansion of the Lancashire League (the current expansion plan).

"The LCB recommends that the four leagues agree to work together to decide on a new structure and in doing so, this will be supported by the LCB and ECB.

"Various proposals/models have been put forward and the LCB/ECB will share, guide and facilitate discussions to reach an agreement across the leagues, so that the leagues can move this forward.

"The proposals put forward in principle (not including the current Lancashire League expansion plan) receive the support of the LCB and ECB based on the consultation process.

"Our belief is that these meet the needs of what each League and their clubs ultimately want, based on the feedback we received during the consultation and what we have been advised by the execs of the leagues.

"The various proposals ultimately see clubs across the Lancashire League, Northern League and Ribblesdale League playing in a structure with promotion and relegation between divisions and we will now meet with the leagues to agree how clubs can be placed along with all the necessary detail to be agreed, including second team cricket.

"The Palace Shield have requested that they are involved with discussions from the outset, albeit that the consultation undertaken with the Lancashire League, Northern League and Ribblesdale League clubs, has not yet taken place with the Palace Shield clubs.

"The LCB's long term vision for league cricket in the county is to see one division that sits above all the leagues across the county, with promotion from the local league structures into the county-wide division.

"With changes being made in the Greater Manchester area and the already well established structure in the Merseyside area, there is an opportunity to create something new in the Lancashire area.

"One league structure in the Lancashire area that could feed the best into a county-wide division, along with the new leagues in Greater Manchester and the existing structure in Merseyside, is an exciting vision and achievable with the right structures in place.

"The four leagues have been offered a meeting on December 23 and if this isn't possible for all, we will reconvene early in the New Year.

"The LCB recommendations will not see any changes to each leagues' plans for the 2016 season."