The Cumberland County League has suffered a blow on the eve of the season when the Premier Division champions Pirelli pulled out of the competition.
The Carlisle side dominated last season by winning the League and also collecting two of the cups.
It has been suggested that the reason is because several members of the squad have joined clubs at a higher level while others have indicated they just won’t be playing.
The League had already lost Workington Athletic, Northbank and Mirehouse who had all resigned at the end of last season. Northbank, however, have had a rethink and will be back in Division One.
In the end the League is only one team down as Whitehaven Miners have entered a second team while Bransty have re-entered the competition.
So 16 clubs will start the season on August 20, split into two sections of eight – Premier Division and Division One.
Premier Division: Aspatria, Cockermouth, Gosforth, Maryport Athletic, UniSun Athletic, Whitehaven Miners, Wigton Harriers, Workington Reds Development.
Division One: Bransty Rangers, Carlisle City Development, Cleator Moor Celtic Development, Northbank, Silloth, Whitehaven Amateurs Reserves, Whitehaven Miners Reserves, Windscale Development
There will be no fixtures issued on bank holiday dates and no mid-week fixtures at the start of the season.
The opening games on August 20 are: Premier Division: Gosforth v Whitehaven Miners; Maryport Athletic v Wigton Harriers; Unisun Athletic v Cockermouth.
Division One: Bransty Rangers v Silloth; Carlisle City Development; v Whitehaven reserves; Northbank v Windscale reserves; Whitehaven Miners reserves v Cleator Moor Celtic reserves.
