THE Memorial Sunday League has been forced into a rethink over a "six-point system" designed to complete their rain-ravaged season after Lancashire Football Association intervention.

The LFA contacted the league after last week's article in Sport Extra and said any game played under this ruling, which was introduced last December, must be reverted to three points and all future matches played to that rule.

League tables have been amended accordingly.

The Memorial League called an emergency executive meeting on Monday night to discuss the problem they now face in dealing with their backlog of fixtures with 108 games still to play in the next six weeks.

In a letter to all league club secretaries, Memorial League secretary Harry Dewhurst said: "I reported that a total of 83 matches had been postponed due to bad weather. This meant that it would be difficult to complete our league programme in the time available.

"This has been further endorsed over the period since then by a large number of postponements. To add to our problems the LFA has ruled our decision of December 8, 1998 was illegal and that all matches already played under this ruling must be reverted to three points and all future matches played to that rule." In a separate letter to Accrington Sports, who first alerted Sport Extra, Mr Dewhurst said: "We have adhered to the LFA ruling and acknowledged that our initial decision was not authorised by them but it was done quite innocently and in what we thought was in the best interest of our league and the only way we would be able to complete our programme in the limited time available."

Mr Dewhurst also warned league clubs to be alert to 'hoax' telephone calls from someone purporting to be either John Franks and/or John Williamson asking clubs to complain to the league and LFA regarding the 'six point' system.

"And clubs were also being told to be alert after a man claiming to be 'Malcolm from the league' phoned a number of clubs last weekend informing them that there next match was cancelled.

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