Gary O'Neil is hoping the Bradford and Bingley Cricket Festival can be a launchpad for establishing a visually-impaired cricket team at Wagon Lane.

The organiser of the event, which has showcased minority forms of the game over the last week, is hoping to set up a northern-based league for those who are blind and partially-sighted.

And he hopes that yesterday's match between visually-impaired teams from Yorkshire and Lancashire will raise awareness towards achieving that goal.

"I'd like to think that there will be a West Yorkshire team based at Bradford and Bingley in the next three or four years playing in a northern league," said O'Neil.

"Bradford and Leeds are sizeable areas and there will be visually impaired people living in those cities. By having the festival, we are promoting this form of the game, and even if we only get one extra person into the sport, it will be something."

Teams usually feature three players who are completely blind and eight who are partially sighted.

The game is played with a small football which has a lead shot inside it to give batsman and fielders an idea of where the ball is. Larger stumps and runners are used and batsmen can be caught out after one bounce.

O'Neil says people are surprised as to how good the standard is and even believes that some second and third teams from the regular game could be beaten by top sides in the visually-impaired version.

The Preston-based player was a member of the England team which took part in the first ever World Cup for visually impaired cricketers in New Delhi in 1998.

But he has since turned his attention to focusing on the domestic game.

He said: "The development of the game here is being hampered by playing international cricket. The national team may have £6,000, while clubs don't even have £600. It's like building a house but putting the roof on first."

At present, there is only one team - Northern Galloway - in the north, which means any funds raised has to go on travelling to play further south.

O'Neil's goal is to see various counties in the north meeting up five or six times a year at venues like Wagon Lane, which has a number of pitches (including the rugby fields) to accommodate several games at a time.

"That way, we can put funds raised back into development rather than just on petrol and train fares," he said.

The festival at Bradford and Bingley kicked off with a match between an England Learning Difficulties XI against a Northern Counties Physical Disability XI.

Primary schools in the Beckfoot cluster took part in an under-11 Kwik Cricket tournament during the week, while the festival was due to conclude with a series of matches from the Airedale Under-11 Junior Girls' League yesterday.

Bradford and Bingley Cricket Club chairman Peter Whitehead said: "The Bradford and Bingley Sports Club is privileged and delighted to have hosted this festival which brings together cricketers of all ages and abilities, young and old, disabled and able bodied to enjoy the fun of competition.

"As a cricket club we have worked for a number of years to achieve Clubmark status, which embodies a family club with equal opportunities and care for all."

"This festival has been an ideal opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to the Clubmark principles."