Saltaire are disappointed that their overseas player Masud Asam Butt has been denied permission to play in next weekend's re-arranged Sovereign Health Care Priestley Cup third-round tie at Baildon.

Ijaz Khan, skipper of the Roberts Park club, said: "Masud has been delayed in arriving in this country through no fault of his own or of Saltaire's.

"He is here now but it is frustrating that a technicality on his visa application is Islamabad delayed him coming to England.

"All the documents were in place in the New Year but the Pakistani authorities disputed some of the facts on his original application.

"Those facts were subsequently found out to be correct but in the meantime his work permit had been sent to England and we had to get another one out to him, which took four to six weeks. He should have arrived for the beginning of the season but only arrived recently."

What is really annoying Khan is the case of Pudsey Congs' James Middlebrook, who was allowed to play in the Priestley Cup semi-final last season against Woodlands despite having played only one league game.

Khan said: "The board of management made a special case for Middlebrook for a semi-final, but by the time Masud plays what is in effect a quarter-final he will have played three league games for us, yet we have been turned down point blank by the Bradford League management board when we asked them if he could play for us."

League secretary Steve Raistrick said: "The crucial thing is that James Middlebrook played a league game for Pudsey Congs before June 30 last year, whereas Masud has not even been in this country.

"If the cup tie had been played last week, like it should have done, Masud would only have played one match.

"The Middlebrook decision and the Masud decision are two completely different sets of circumstances."

The committee at Saltaire are now pondering whether to re-apply to next Thursday's Bradford League board of management meeting for permission for Masud to play against Baildon.

Saltaire, who are joint eighth in the table, face Bowling Old Lane on Saturday at Roberts Park.

Old Lane are among seven clubs who are fighting to avoid relegation, with Saltaire and Brighouse the outsiders.

Basement club Hanging Heaton are at home to Bradford & Bingley in a key clash at the bottom. Second-from-bottom Idle are at Pudsey Congs, while Farsley host Woodlands.