CHANGES to the structure of club cricket in Gloucestershire could be in place for the start of the 2014 season after the county boards and league officials agreed to review the current pyramid system.

A working party will now consult with clubs from the West of England Premier League and its feeder competitions before reporting their findings at the end of the current season.

Any proposed changes to the system would not take place in 2013 but would almost certainly come into play the following year.

Gloucestershire cricket development manager Steve Silk said one of the things they are keen to change is the amount of travelling clubs have to do.

He said: "We're very aware that we are losing people from the game in the 16 to mid-20s age bracket, and we need to gain a full understanding of why. We know some of the reasons are related to the type of cricket that is being played, the time involved and increasing pressure on people at weekends.

"It's not easy if playing cricket takes you away from 10am to 10pm, so one of the questions we will be asking is do we need to be playing more locally?

"Easing the travel burden on clubs and eliminating 140-mile round trips, as several teams are experiencing this season, is a priority, as is providing meaningful second XI fixtures."

The County League – which currently consists of nine divisions – is set to be reduced to five divisions.

Sides currently playing in Divisions Six to Nine will return to local feeder leagues with Forest sides moving into the KW Bell Forest League.