Ripon's link with the League has been broken by the demise of its nomadic team.

The side started playing on courts outside the city when the former Ripon Squash Club in North Road closed and was sold for a housing development several years ago.

Without any other courts in Ripon players carried on flying a local banner from a team based at Boroughbridge Leisure Centre.

But with more players from Otley in the Ripon side organisers have decided to rename the team which will start the new season under the Otley banner.

There was one snag ahead of the new season for Otley. The club is not in North Yorkshire, although only a couple of hundred yards inside the West Yorkshire boundary.

The league has decided Otley can be an exception and compete in the North Yorkshire contest.

Accountant John Bailey, who has run the Ripon side in the North Yorkshire League for several years, will be playing Yorkshire League Squash later this month for York Railway Institute, who are in Division Two.

Bailey, who has previously played for current champions Pontefract in the Yorkshire League, said he was no longer able to run the Ripon team and because there were now three or four Otley players involved it had been decided to rename the team.

Ripon Squash Club was still operating when the city's new Leisure Centre opened seven years ago and so squash courts were not provided there.

Now, Ripon finds itself without courts while smaller places like Pateley Bridge, Boroughbridge, Leyburn, Bedale and Otley do have courts.

Otley, who will compete in Division One, will be skippered by Steve Thackwray.

North Yorkshire League secretary Chris Lennox announced what he called the "demise" of Ripon's link with the league.

"Otley will be playing on the rugby club courts in Otley," said Lennox.

Meanwhile Ripon's link with the Harrogate and District Squash League is set to continue.

Bailey's wife Sue, along with Val Gears, Tony Rennison and Neil Jackson will be among players competing as Ripon in the Harrogate and District League.

Hopes that Ripon might secure replacement courts for its squash club rose when Ripon Tennis Centre floated the idea of adding to their facilities. But no firm proposals have been made.

Squash players in Ripon have constantly complained that they have been left out on a squash limb while smaller neighbours have the benefit of playing the sport on their doorsteps.

Play in the Hambleton Ales North Yorkshire League gets underway on Thursday, September 26 and runs until the first week of April.

Individual finals will be held on April 3, Plate Finals on April 4 with knock-out finals and presentations on April 5. Venues will be decided nearer the time.

In Division One Wensleydale 2nd team have won a reprieve from relegation because the number of teams in the division has increased from nine to ten.

In Division Two the number of teams has also been increased to ten with RAF Leeming also being reprieved from relegation.

Thorp Perrow join Bedale 3rd and 4th teams in being promoted from Division Three.

In Division Three there are now nine teams, Boroughbridge entering a team in the league for the first time in ten years.

Pateley Bridge has entered a second team and Harrogate Squash Club re-enter a side, giving them a total of five.

The league is again being sponsored by Nick Stafford's Hambleton Ales Brewery based at Holme-on-Swale, near Thirsk.