The James Cropper Westmorland League have decided to null and void their 2020/21 season due to the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

And while grassroots football is set to return from March 29, the league felt there were too many fixtures to fit in with potential obstacles which would make it even harder to complete the current season.

The news came as a blow to many teams across the division such as Endmoor KGR and Wetheriggs United who were dominating Division One.

The likes of AFC Carlisle and Kendal Utd Reserves from Division Two, and Wetheriggs Utd Reserves and Eden Thistle who were all doing well will also be left frustrated, while understanding the league’s decision.

AFC Carlisle, who were top of Division Two, released a statement on the decision on their social media page. They said: “With plenty of league football still possible, we are very disappointed with this outcome as we felt that league games could have taken priority over cups and especially a new cup competition.

“It is very hard to take considering the amount of effort all the lads have put in this season on the pitch and at training to really kick on from previous years and push up to the top of the table.

"We felt we could have stayed there all season having had such a fantastic start and great victories over some top teams.

"Having said that, we fully respect and understand the decision, with the committee being in a no-win situation whatever the choice due to everyone’s different opinions, beliefs and a lot of other factors to take into consideration such as weather, pitch availability, travel and even cricket.

"We now look forward to some football in the coming weeks in the cup competition.”

Despite the news, some football will still be played after the league decided to complete their cup competitions by using a Champions League format rather than the usual knockout formula.

To achieve, this each of the three divisions will be split into two miniature leagues – North and South – with each team playing the other teams in their section once. This format will give teams five or six games before the top two in each league qualify for the semi-finals.

The fixtures for the cup competitions are scheduled to take place on April 3, subject to any further Covid-19 restrictions.

Before the season was abandoned, the Division One table had Wetheriggs United at the summit due to them having scored more goals than second-placed Endmoor KGR, with both teams accumulating 18 points.

Having only played three games this season, Kirkby Stephen were bottom of the top flight, with the majority of teams playing double the games.

In Division Two, AFC Carlisle were three points clear of Kendal United Reserves at the top.

Appleby Reserves were at the foot of the division after picking up three points from seven games.

Finally, in Division Three, Wetheriggs United Reserves and Eden Thistle were separated by only a point at the top of the table, with the reserve team losing one less game than their counterparts.