Yorkshire CCC may merge their Academy with the ECB-backed Bradford-Leeds Univer-sities' Centre of Excellence under proposals to switch the latter's headquarters to Leeds Univer-sity's sports site at Weetwood.

High costs of keeping Bradford Park Avenue in good repair may lead to the Centre of Excellence switching its base from the famous Park Avenue ground to Weetwood, and the plan under discussion also involves Yorkshire's Academy moving to the north Leeds site from its New Rover's ground at Adel.

Cricket will stay at Park Avenue next season but the merger plan could be operational by 2005.

Not everyone is happy with the proposals, however, and Bradford-born former Yorkshire and England bowler Bob Appleyard is campaigning to keep the Centre at Park Avenue and return the Academy to its original base at the ground.

The Centre was set up at Park Avenue in 2001 on a three-year deal with the ECB which backed it with £50,000 a year. The Bradford and Bingley also supported it with a £20,000 deal over the past two years and this agreement brought in money from Sportsmatch.

But funding from these two sources is now at an end and all Park Avenue is currently due to receive for next season is £50,000 from the ECB.

Steve Teasdale, manager of the Centre of Excellence, said: "The whole thing is finance driven and the ECB are insisting on closer links between the Centre and Yorkshire CCC.

"Unfortunately, there are horrendous costs in maintaining Park Avenue and these are not sustainable with reduced funding."

Updated: 11:00 Tuesday, November 18, 2003