Players at one of the oldest cricket clubs in the world have been banned from hitting sixes after complaints of damage were made by neighbours.
Southwick and Shoreham, a West Sussex-based cricket club formed in 1790, has outlawed the high-scoring shot after one neighbour threatened to call the police for damage done to their property by balls flying over the boundary.
Damage to windows, cars and sheds has reportedly been caused by players who have smashed the ball over the boundary rope at the small ground.
Now, the club have warned batters that the first six they hit will not count for any runs and, if they strike a second during their innings, they will be out.
One batter told MailOnline: “Hitting the bowler for a six is part of the glory of the sport. How can you ban it? It’s ridiculous. I don’t agree that the rules should be tinkered with in this fashion.”
Another player added: “If you buy a house next to a cricket ground then you’ve got expect a few cricket balls in your garden.”
While the club has erected nets around Southwick’s ground – named The Green – their height is ultimately limited by the surrounding trees, offering little protection for nearby residential homes.
The introduction of, at times, slightly obscure laws, is not a new phenomenon for cricket clubs in this country, though.
The St Lawrence Ground in Canterbury – home of Kent County Cricket Club – used to have a lime tree down one end of the ground where, if it was hit by one of the batters, it would count for four runs.
Regardless, the Southwick and Shoreham club has not necessarily received the response they were looking for from local residents, with some wishing to resist the change.
Peter Naghten, a retired black-cab driver, said: ‘I’ve never had a ball in my property but I don’t really agree with banning sixes – it’s one of the most interesting things about the sport.
“Surely it is in their blood and, when the ball presents itself, you’d just give it an almighty hit.”
The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the former governing body of cricket, is responsible for setting the rules of the game – originally amassed back in 1788.
However, the organisation is yet to respond to the ban enforced at Southwick, leaving potential for a rebuttal while the future of batting prowess in West Sussex hangs in the balance.
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