It was a close-run thing but Cullingworth have been accepted into the Foster’s Halifax League for the 2014 season.

The Mewies Solicitors Craven League club were voted in 17-13 at the Calderdale league’s monthly meeting at Pellon Social Club this week.

However, they fared better than Bradford Mutual Sunday School League club Great Horton Church, who got only nine votes for and 21 against.

Before the votes took place, league secretary Neil Myers said: “I want to see all 30 clubs vote as it is no good a lot of clubs abstaining and a club getting into our league with say only ten votes.”

In order to help both clubs in the future, Myers later asked clubs who had voted against both or either club to e-mail him giving the reasons.

He said: “If it is facilities or travelling, then the clubs who tried to get in will know where they stand.”

That issue having been decided, however, the hot topic of the evening was the cold weather, particularly at the league’s hill-top clubs.

Myers admitted: “Queensbury is inaccessible by vehicle at the moment,” while Oxenhope representative Howard Smith said: “There are three to four-foot drifts against the machinery sheds.”

Jer Lane’s representative Martin Sheehan was angry that the league will not be putting back their opening-day fixtures on Saturday, April 20.

He said: “We still have six-foot drifts against the wall and I spent an hour this morning sweeping snow off the square until I was exhausted.”

John Kershaw, of Stones, Copley’s John Dixon and Wibsey Park Chapel’s Mark Gill had similar stories to tell.

However, league president David Normanton said the league will not be altering their fixture-list.

He said: “It is not a decision that we have taken lightly, and I have sympathy with the clubs, but if we move fixtures then that will also cause problems.

“We have had problems before on the first week or two of the season with rain and we have got half our matches played, while Stones have had a match called off for snow in May before.

“If we have major problems, like the flooding we had last year, then we may look at it again.”

The Solly Sports Central Yorkshire League’s emergency committee have already decided to call off their opening raft of fixtures on Saturday, April 13, and will reschedule them as quickly as possible to the most convenient date.

However, clubs have also been advised that there is no intention to extend the 2013 season.

The decision has been made because of the inability of groundsmen to prepare grounds to anything approaching the expected and hoped-for standards and quality.