THE Northern Premier League has vowed not to poach any clubs as it bids to establish a feeder league system in Lancashire Cricket.

The Northern League was recently granted Premier status by the English Cricket Board in accordance with its blueprint for raising the standards of the game.

To retain that status, however, the league must have a feeder league in place within the next three years.

And further talks took place with clubs from the Ribblesdale League last night following suggestions that the Northern League could create a new league to join them as a Second Division.

There has been speculation that up to four Ribblesdale League clubs may be ready to jump ship and join the Northern League set-up.

"At that point we thought that while you don't want to lose any clubs, with one we could probably get by. But if you lost four you are struggling.

"That's why we took the decision to invite the Northern League over" said Ribblesdale League secretary Rod Slater.

"It was a general discussion where they told us where they are up to and the way they want to go forward with it.

"It's up to the clubs whether they actually meet the Northern League again or whether we say thanks but we are not interested" he added. However, Northern League chairman Norman Brown, who addressed the Ribblesdale League club representatives along with secretary John Cooper, stressed that no decisions had yet been taken about the next step.

And he insisted that no clubs would be approached through the back door to help form a feeder league.

Brown said: "We've not made any decisions at all because there's been no discussion with our clubs.

"John Cooper said last night that there are two ways we could go ahead. We could recruit a league or the other way would be to advertise for clubs which could mean clubs applying from different leagues.

"But we have given a commitment that we will be entirely open and above board with what we are doing. We are working with the LCB so that everybody is in the know.

"We will not go behind the backs of anybody and won't go poaching any clubs."

It would appear that joining forces with the Ribblesdale League would be the Northern League's preferred option.

"However there is still a lot of talking to be done before a promotion and relegation system is in place.

The Northern League clubs would have to accept the Ribblesdale League as a Second Division.

And if the Ribblesdale League, which would still be able to operate with its own offices and rules with the top team having the option of going up, joins a pyramid then they would have to find a feeder with the prospect with one of their clubs being relegated each year.

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