EGERTON have applied to join the Lancashire League, 21 months after leaving the Bolton League to join the Greater Manchester Cricket League.

The Blackburn Road club’s application was confirmed on the GMCL website yesterday along with that of fellow GMCL club Edenfield.

In a statement issued to The Bolton News today Egerton said clubs in the Lancashire League were more accessible than those in the Greater Manchester league and geographically better for their supporters.

Egerton won the Bolton League for the first time in the last of their 85 years in the competition in 2015 and made it a double title success when they clinched the GMCL Premier Division championship last year.

The Lancashire League are looking to increase their numbers from the traditional 14 they have had since the late 1890s to 24 in order to have two divisions by 2018.

Three clubs – Darwen, Clitheroe and Great Harwood – were accepted in a previous recruitment drive some months ago and Egerton are one of what is understood to be six new clubs to have applied.

In the statement the club explained their reasons for applying.

"The Egerton Cricket Club Committee took a considerable amount of time to reach a decision regarding leaving the Greater Manchester League," it read.

"As a founder member of the GMCL Egerton were, and still are, 100 per cent behind everything the GMCL stands for, it is a fabulous League to be a part of and will definitely go from strength to strength in the coming years.

"However, it was felt that from a geographical perspective the Lancashire League lends itself more favourably to our supporters.

"At the club's AGM on Sunday it came across that the Lancashire League was more accessible, especially as Egerton is only two miles from the M65 motorway, which in essence is the gateway to many of the Lancashire League grounds.

"The final decision was taken by the committee based on the general consensus at the AGM."

Egerton must now await the outcome of proposed talks between the leagues in Lancashire and the governing Lancashire Cricket Board which will be aimed at ensuring the movement of clubs between leagues does not damage nor significantly weaken any of them.

If the Lancashire League continues with its recruitment drive following the talks, Egerton must wait to see if they are accepted.

The announcement on the GMCL website which confirmed Egerton's application said: "Both Egerton Cricket Club and Edenfield Cricket Club notified the GMCL Board that they were applying to join the Lancashire League for season 2018 and they have now confirmed that those applications have been submitted.

"Both clubs remain full members of GMCL and will play a full part in the 2017 season and we wish them success with their applications to meet their future cricketing aspirations.

"The closing date for applications to join the GMCL structure for the 2018 season is 30th June 2017."