Saturday's Shepherd Neame Kent League Premier Division game between Bickley Park and Hartley Country Club was abandoned after the umpires decided that the pitch was dangerous.

The wicket began to break up during Hartley’s innings and when the home side replied, they only had 5.2 overs before the umpires took the players off the pitch.

Peter Robinson, the Kent League’s assistant secretary, said: "As far as I’m aware, there isn’t a precedent for this situation, certainly in the Premier Division.

"All the pitches in the Premier Division have been inspected by our three-man team of experts, led by former Kent CCC groundsman Mike Grantham, over the past couple of years under a scheme funded by the ECB designed to improve the quality of wickets at our level.

"Bickley Park was inspected in January 2009 but after Saturday’s events, we will be asking them how the pitch was prepared and give them some more help and advice to try to prevent the same thing happening again."

Bickley had put Hartley in and the visitors struggled for runs, with only skipper Min Patel (48) making any sort of score as his side were bowled out for 146 in 42 overs.

Then, with the Bickley reply on 15-2 and the ball lifting dangerously off a length, the umpires intervened and abandoned the match.