WINTERSLOW, once a thriving village cricket club with two Saturday teams in the Hampshire League, a midweek side and 70 junior members, have been forced to quit the Hampshire League due to dwindling playing numbers.

It’s the second time Winterslow cricket has been forced to disband.

They originally folded in 2001, but reformed five years later on the bottom rung of the HCL regional divisions and really began to make progress after moving to an impressive state-of-the-art ground on the edge of the village.

It boasted a superb pavilion and clubhouse, a self-contained scorebox and practice facilities on the far side of the ground.

Winterslow celebrated a County Division 4 North championship in 2011, but gradually playing numbers dwindled, the second team was disbanded and now the whole club has gone – again.

Russell Rowe, a leading light in Winterslow’s reformation in 2006, explained: “As with many clubs the bulk of the work was left with the few and not the many and it became untenable.

“When a stand was made there were only a couple of willing volunteers who tried their best.

“Just think, in 2009, we attracted over 2,000 people to the ground for a fixture against the Lashings World XI, 500 of them sitting down for lunch in the marquee.

“Now it is a very sorry sight and a waste of an excellent facility.”