POOL’S bid to alter the rule regarding promotion and relegation in the Aire-Wharfe League has failed, albeit narrowly.

At a special general meeting of the league at Otley RUFC, 17 were in favour of Pool’s motion, 13 against and there were six abstentions.

But that wasn’t quite the end of the matter as some felt that the abstentions should not count, meaning that Pool’s proposal got a majority of the vote.

However, it was pointed out by league secretary Mark Shaw that a majority is determined by the total number of votes cast (17 against 19) and therefore the motion failed.

Pool’s second team were relegated from Division Four in 2022 despite finishing ninth of the 12 clubs (the league couldn’t relegate 10th-placed St Chads Broomfield as they were not re-elected), and since the autumn they have been trying to overturn that decision.

Pool wanted to amend rule 2.4 (ii) to read: “At the end of each season the top two teams in each division (except Division One) will be promoted and the bottom two teams in each division (except the lowest division) will be relegated.

“No additional existing member club(s) will be repositioned to a lower division to accommodate any new club(s) elected at the AGM or due to the withdrawal or non re-election of an existing member club; effective as of the final league positions for season 2022.”

All 36 league clubs were present and the meeting began with prepared statements being read out by both Pool and the Aire-Wharfe League’s management committee.

Pool’s statement, led by David Murphy and signed off by club chairman Charlie Bell, began by saying how unfortunate it was that new clubs Rodley and Bingley Congs’ first exposure to the league was this SGM.

They then said that they had been relegated a month after the season finished and want to prevent these set of circumstances happening to any other club.

Pool also said that they felt victimised by the league and humbled by the support of clubs, and there was much sympathy for them on the evening.

Shaw pointed out that the rule under debate had been there since 2018 and that there were over 25 different permutations as to the make up of the league for 2023 regarding who is promoted, who is relegated and what division the two new clubs would be slotted into.

He also pointed out that no Aire-Wharfe first team had ever been in Division Five (the league have six linear divisions with second teams having the opportunity to face first XIs if they are good enough).

One option was to make Division Four 13 teams instead of 12 (i.e. not relegate Pool), but that would mean more league cricket on Sundays, which is not popular.

Shaw, whose committee have spent hours working on the fixtures and potential solutions, also said that if the proposal went through it would be seen as a vote of no confidence in the league management committee, with the implication being that some of the leading league officials would have no option but to resign.

Whether that point should have been made before the vote took place is a moot point as some clubs might have seen it as the equivalent of holding a gun to their heads, but they were asked a direct question as to the consequences of the vote going in favour of Pool.

The league’s Umpires’ Association pointed out that this debate was more appropriate before an AGM and that the league’s management committee should have the power to manage.

Pool pointed out that they voted for Rodley and Bingley Congs to join the league but that they would never have done so had they realised that it would result in their relegation.

Longer term this debate could hasten the end of separate divisions for first and second XIs, which would probably make setting up the divisions easier but would deny second XIs the chance of testing themselves against better opposition.