MORE than 400 people braved a bitterly cold day to bid farewell to the remains of a Kent cricketing icon on Tuesday as Kent County Cricket Club planted a new lime tree at its Canterbury headquarters.

The faithful gathered around the shattered stump of the ancient lime that blew down just seven days into the New Year and witnessed the debut of the young pretender in its place on the St Lawrence outfield.

The ceremony, clearly seen by supporters as the renewal of Kent’s place in cricketing folklore, attracted a crowd that many a county would appreciate on the opening day of an early-season championship match.

People travelled from as far afield as Lytham St Annes in Lancashire to be present.

The old lime was semi-mature by the time Kent hosted its first cricket week at St Lawrence in 1847, but with the good grace of Mother Nature the new specimen - which measures up at 25 feet in this its 32nd year - will embellish the ground for generations to come.

The new tree was planted by Kent’s president for 2002/03 and chairman of Shepherd Neame, Bobby Neame, who was invited to take part in the ceremony following the death of this year’s president and Mr Neame’s lifelong friend, former Kent and England batsman Brian Luckhurst, who died on March 1.

"It was very emotional for me today standing in for Brian, but also a great privilege," said Mr Neame afterwards.

"I’d known Brian for a tremendously long time, more than 30 years, and Shepherd Neame’s involvement as a firm with Kent County Cricket Club was very much due to Brian’s efforts.

"He was a great friend and a loyal supporter of Kent cricket and it is tremendously sad that he wasn’t able to be here today."

Supporters spent a minute’s silence remembering Mr Luckhurst, who served the club for 51 years, before hearing a poem entitled ‘Farewell St Lawrence Lime’ written by London-based cricket statistician Irving Rosenwater and read by former Kent and England skipper Chris Cowdrey.

In his speech to the county supporters, Kent Chairman Carl Openshaw said: "I was in South Africa recently and the question I was asked most, contrary to popular opinion, was not which South African player we would be signing next, but what’s happening to our lime tree?

"The reason our lime tree created so much interest is that people are fascinated by tradition, particularly a tradition that has survived this long.

"The tree was always associated with Kent, it is such traditions that help give a county its identity and in my belief no county is stronger in its cricketing traditions than Kent."

KM-fm sports editor Simon Watts spoke to the son of Jim Smith who was one of only three players who ever managed to hit a six over the tree....