TWO centuries of cricketing folklore crashed to the ground at St Lawrence when Friday's gales felled the world-famous lime tree at Kent's Canterbury headquarters.

Estimated to be at least 190-years-old when last surveyed, the lime has provided the back drop for cricket since the game was first played there in 1847 - some 23 years before the formation of the county club.

The only tree positioned within the boundary ropes of a first-class cricket ground anywhere in the world, the lime became renowned throughout the game as a quirky sporting icon of Kent.

Down the decades numerous Kent supporters have scattered the ashes of loved ones at the foot of the tree, and poignantly, a single red rose still lay at its base on the day the lime finally came to rest.

The lime was discovered, snapped in two, 7ft from ground-level and pointing away towards the Old Dover Road turnstiles by Kent's head groundsman Mike Grantham.

"To be honest I'd been out in the middle sweeping the square for about 20 minutes when I looked up and thought 'something's missing','" said Mr Grantham.

"It wasn't unexpected because we knew it was in poor shape, but it still came as quite a shock to first see it down.

"From a groundsman's point of view it fell the right way and caused minimal damage, but I feel it's nicer for it to happen this way, organically so to speak, rather than by way of the chain saw."

Mr Grantham and his team will survey the outfield damage once the trunk has been removed, but he gave his backing to the club's plan to substitute the lime within the boundary ropes.

"There may be a bit of a mess around that area come the start of the season because grass seed won't grow at this time of year, but I think it would be nice to continue the tradition," he added.

"The replacement is a little on the small side right now and would have to be protected, as they do with the base of rugby posts, just in case a fielder ran into it.

"But I feel we need to keep such traditions going as people came here from all over the world, even when there was no cricket being played, to have their picture taken next to the Canterbury lime."

Though often well within the boundary ropes only three batsmen have 'officially' hit sixes over the Canterbury lime in first-class play - though many others have laid claim to the feat.

West Indies' all-rounder Learie Constantine first cleared the lime from a delivery by Kent leg-spinner C.S. 'Father' Mariott in 1928.

Constantine's countryman and former Kent overseas professional, Carl Hooper, did likewise in 1992, while batsman Jim Smith also hit over it for Middlesex in 1939.

Kent have already received England and Wales Cricket Board permission to replace the lime within the boundary limits, indeed the club purchased a semi-mature, 12th man replacement tree five years ago, which was planted by Sandwich-based cricket writer and broadcaster, the late E. W. 'Jim' Swanton.