THE Lancashire Cricket Board has been replaced by another organisation with a change in personnel at the top.

Who had the authority to do this and for what reasons?

Was it the Lancashire County Cricket Club? Was it the England and Wales Cricket Board?

Many of us from four of the major leagues once affiliated to the LCB, who had to deal with them, could give you many reasons.

Surely all those involved in Lancashire cricket are entitled to some explanation, albeit too late for these leagues that are now no longer playing cricket.

At a meeting on February 24, 2016, the Bolton and District Cricket Association asked Bob Hinchcliffe, the then chairman of the LCB, to send us a copy of the LCB's Articles of Association.

We also thought Bob should declare a conflict of interest because he was secretary of the Lancashire County Cricket League, which supported the formation of the Greater Manchester Cricket League.

On March 10, 2016 Bob emailed me a section of the Articles and stated he was satisfied they had acted in accordance with them.

He also asked that the matter now be closed.

I am of the opinion the LCB were in breach of some of the clauses, especially their duty to represent the interests of constituent members.

I am also of the opinion they did the direct opposite.

Many who ran local leagues in the area found the LCB difficult to deal with.

The LCB's pet project was the formation of the GMCL which we knew would be the end of league cricket as we knew it.

The premise that the GMCL would have a Premier League was false because many of the clubs in that league do not meet the ECB's standards for premier leagues.

The claim that young cricketers would progress better, and the LCB's success in this area is now being doubted.

The LCB repeatedly claimed the idea of the GMCL came from the clubs and leagues.

This was absolute rubbish. What league would request its own demise?

Of the five major leagues affected by the introduction of the GMCL only the Lancashire County League joined it along with amateur leagues that had everything to gain and nothing to lose.

The truth is the LCB called and facilitated every meeting, even when leagues were showing no interest, and eventually they achieved their goal.

The ECB were appealed to and we met and communicated with their officers on numerous occasions, providing ample evidence in support of our case.

We received no help.

Even requests from the House of Lords by Lord Hoyle, Adlington Cricket Club's president, direct to the chairman of the ECB received no support, and his last letter did not even receive the courtesy of a reply.

But maybe the ECB did think that something needed to be done.

Could it be that when the LCB tried to apply the same methods to the leagues in north and west Lancashire and the Lancashire Cricket League they met with a more aggressive opposition and they refused to be dealt with as we were?

Did this seal the fate of the LCB? Surely we are entitled to know.

The Bolton News has published my various articles on the subject of league cricket in Lancashire and, I am sad to say, many of my predictions have come true.

Frank Jackson

Chairman of the Bolton and District Cricket Association