More than 100 players are expected to feature as the Canterbury & District Bat and Trap League hold a one-off tournament to mark their centenary year.

It will be held at Whitstable Cricket Club this Sunday, with matches starting from 11am.

League press officer Jakey Janes thinks plenty of sides will take part. Each can have eight players.

He explained: “Every player is going to get a medal. There’s going to be a trophy that the winning team will get.

“We should have 17 teams at the moment. It could go up to 20 or 21, so that’s quite a lot of players.

“The top two in each group will go through to a knockout format and the bottom two will play for the Plate.”

Whitstable Cricket Club have let the Canterbury & District Bat & Trap League utilise their Belmont Road ground for the celebrations. Food and drink will be on sale, while they will be side stalls and an ice cream van available on the day as well.

Each team will pay a registration fee of £3 per person, with all proceeds going towards the University College of London, a charity chosen by Nomadic Smugglers player Quinton Long.

“Someone in his family is ill so we are raising money for the University College of London,” Janes said.

“He approached us. He said ‘Could we raise money for the charity?’. We have been putting it out everywhere, trying to drum up interest.

“The weather will play a big part so, hopefully, that’s all right and we can have a good day.”

A trap with a centenary plaque on it will be handed to the winning team which has been made by Andrew Minter.

The committee will be dressed in 1920s’ attire, representing the clothing worn by RW Humphrey and those who attended the meeting in September 1922 when the league was formed at the Ye Olde Beverlie pub.

The teams at the meeting were Beverlie, Westgate Wanderers, The Risers, Terriers, Old City of Canterbury and a ladies’ team. The league was founded minus the ladies’ team who were voted out by the gentlemen in attendance.

The opening season of 1923 saw five teams compete in the league - Beverlie, British Legion, The Risers, Territorials and Broad Oak - with Beverlie winning the league.

Janes is working on a book primarily based on 100 years of the league - although other leagues will be mentioned - but he said: “I still have quite a bit of work to do on that.

“I have to work that around the night shifts that I work as well.”

Janes has played the sport since 1985 and has seen the number of teams involved in the league rise over the years.

“This year, we have got 30 teams which is not bad because pre-Covid we had 31,” he commented.

“We have a good committee behind us. Hopefully that continues.”

There will also be a bottle of spirits which will be used as a prize in the raffle to help raise funds on the day.

Registration is at 10.30am, followed by a captain’s meeting at 10.45am to discuss the rules.