TWO football clubs in rural North Yorkshire may be allowed membership of a York junior league after all - after Shadow Sports Minister John Greenway MP stepped in.

Mr Greenway had described as ludicrous the decision by the York British Sugar Minor League to exclude Old Malton FC and Helmsley-based Duncombe Park FC.

Both clubs are situated outside the mileage restrictions for the under-13s league, and were therefore denied membership.

However, league bosses last night invited both clubs to the league's annual general meeting on Monday, after Mr Greenway, the Conservative MP for Ryedale, became involved.

He said: "At a time when we're trying to increase the opportunities for rural children in competitive sport, I think it's ludicrous that these two teams had been excluded."

As well as sparking fears over football in rural areas, the ruling outraged the clubs concerned, and prompted Duncombe Park secretary Steve Skelton to ask for Mr Greenway's support.

Skelton himself had described the stalemate as a farce, but today said: "The secretary of the league rang up late last night and said we and Old Malton were invited to the AGM.

"We've now got to stand up and put forward our case to the other clubs, and hopefully we will be voted onto the league."

He said that his club is sited within the York and district section as stipulated in the North Riding County FA handbook, and both they and Old Malton have this year been playing in the under-12s York Mitchell League - which also operates boundary restrictions, but gave discretion in this case.

Two other league teams, Brooklyn (Norton) and Pickering Under-13s, are also sited outside the 15-mile-from-York restriction, but they had been allowed to stay in the league by virtue of being founder members.

Duncombe Park had considered applying for entry into the Scarborough league - despite the fact Helmsley is nearer to York - before the Minor League bosses offered this olive branch.

"We are actually not within the boundaries for any league," added Skelton. "And we hoped we would have had a logical progression into the British Sugar league."