Sussex Sunday League clubs booted out a proposal to play double headers.

The league wanted to ease the fixtures crisis by having matches between sides that had not played each other yet to be contested for six points with two points for a draw.

Clubs voted 27-24 against it at an emergency meeting held over Christmas - but it needed a recount after a 27-27 stalemate had been recorded League chairman Roy Terrington bizarrely declined the chance to use his casting vote to push through the double header proposal and demanded a recount.

Now it means instead of playing for more points, clubs will play two successive matches every Sunday. The games will be shortened to 35 minutes each way.

Terrington was disappointed the league committee's proposal was thrown out - but now believes the meeting's conclusion will not prove disastrous because the league has been handed a lifeline by councils.

He said: "We were concerned because the councils had expressed a reluctance not to allow 140 minutes football to be played on deteriorating pitches caused by two successive games.

"The league is seriously behind with its fixtures and double headers were an ideal solution to the problems, but clubs obviously felt it wasn't.

"However the councils have agreed to let us play two matches each week and granted us an extension for use of the pitches. So perhaps it's won't turn out as bad as first feared."

He explained why he declined the opportunity to cast his vote in favour of the league proposal when the votes were level.

"I thought the counting method wasn't accurate," said Terrington. "It was Christmas and I felt some people were a little bit too much in the festive spirit. The issue was too important for a slapdash approach, so I ordered a recount and we all saw what happened."

Fixtures secretary Ernie Coleman, who has suffered nightmares like his other league counterparts this season, said: "This is probably the best solution the clubs would allow us to come up with. Although the councils have agreed to two matches to be played, they may well reassess the situation if the pitches get worse, which could well happen."

Since the vote, the league has seen its programme wiped out two weeks running because of frozen pitches. The league is considering a further motion to be submitted at another special meeting to be held soon.

The season is already a disaster and some cynics are already suggesting the Sussex Sunday League will have a tough job finishing the season.

One club insider, who did not want to be named, said: "This is a shocking decision. The chairman should have used his casting vote, even though it would have upset 27 clubs.

"Everything has gone pear-shaped this season anyway, so it would be far better just to get it out of the way and start afresh next season."