BLACKBURN Northern have been sensationally voted out of the Ribblesdale League’s top division – and will be replaced next season by Salesbury.

The Pleckgate Road club, who finished rock bottom of the of the Senior League last season just two years after being champions and Ramsbottom Cup winners, had to apply for re-election at the league annual general meeting.

And the other member clubs – Senior League sides have two votes – flexed their muscles and voted Northern out by a margin of 21-13 with three abstentions, meaning they must play first division cricket next season.

Northern, whose past professionals include former Indian Test ace Chetan Sharma, have been members of the Ribblesdale League since 1941, while Salesbury will be the first new club in the top flight since Oswaldtwistle Immanuel were voted in back in 1994.

Their promotion comes after years of hard work at their Ribchester Road ground and steady on-field improvement, an improvement which saw them win the First Division by 49 points last season.

“It is great news and reward for everyone at the club after a lot of hard work,” said Salesbury committee member Jason Rawson.

“We are all delighted about the elevation but at the same time we feel a touch of sadness for Blackburn Northern.

"We wanted to get into the top flight and it is a shame that another side has lost its place.

“The hard work starts now for us though. We will be having a meeting to look at who to appoint as professional because that is all new to us.”

Northern, who have won the Senior League five times and are three-time winners of the Ramsbottom Cup, had a troubled season as they finished bottom of the league.

And they were at the centre of controversy when skipper Rudra Singh took his players off the field midway through a game at eventual league champions Baxenden, claiming conditions at Back Lane were unfit despite the ground being given the all-clear by the umpires.

And in a rule change also passed at Monday’s meeting, league members voted to dock any club 24 points should there be a recurrence.

In future, any skipper refusing the continue a game will also be suspended for five matches.

Rod Slater has also stepped down as league secretary after a decade in the role and he will be replaced by Ron Walton, who is a former secretary of Northern.