THE chairmen of the Bolton League and Bolton Association cricket leagues have expressed contrasting feelings about the prospect of joining a new Greater Manchester super league.

Proposals are ongoing about scrapping the 10 existing leagues in the area and replacing them with one structure with around 10 divisions and promotion and relegation through them all.

Representatives from around a third of clubs from the leagues took part in the first mass meeting to discuss the idea at Old Trafford cricket ground two weeks ago, and officials from the leagues met, again at Old Trafford, for further talks last night at which it was unanimously agreed to form a steering group from the leagues to further develop the principles of a structured approach to a GM league.

Officials from eight leagues attended the meeting – the Bolton League, Bolton Association, Manchester and District, Central Lancashire, Saddleworth, North Manchester, Lancashire County and the Greater Manchester Amateur.

The two other leagues involved – the Horwich and Churches League and the Bolton Cosmopolitan League – were not present at the meeting.

Mike Hall, chairman of the Bolton League, said after the meeting: "The encouraging thing was the eight major leagues in Greater Manchester agreed to get involved. This is certainly a step forward.

"We need to get the message out that this is going on around us and we can't bury our heads in the sand.

"We are going to put what was said to our clubs at a meeting on December 1 at Bradshaw Cricket Club at 7.45pm.

"We are going to take views from clubs at that meeting because ultimately what happens will be down to the clubs."

The chairman of the Bolton Association, Frank Jackson, who also attended Thursday's meeting, expressed concerns about the proposals.

Ahead of tonight's monthly meeting of Association clubs, at which the topic was under discussion, he said: "At tonight's meeting we will extend our observations and conclusions and the major questions that need to be answered. We made a list of things, which are numerous.

"Without a shadow of a doubt if we sign up for this proposal after a few years of promotion and relegation the Bolton Association and the other leagues will become extinct. That's the major concern to me.

"Between us, the Bolton League and Bolton Association have 200 years of history and local rivalry. All that will be gone. For what?"