WHITSTABLE Cricket Club could be without Neil Merritt for the whole of the coming season after he suffered a broken arm in a pre-season training accident.

The experienced 38-year-old batsman suffered a break just above his left wrist after being struck by a rising delivery in the nets from team-mate Jamie Lee-Cousens.

Merritt faces the prospect of up to eight weeks in plaster although he could be ruled out for twice as long if doctors decide he needs an operation.

The injury was sustained during one of the club’s weekly net sessions at the Ames-Levett Indoor School, Canterbury, just days before Merritt was due to make his seasonal debut in a friendly fixture.

Last season Merritt’s appearances were limited due to family commitments and he admits he had set his heart on re-establishing his place in the first team this summer. He said: "I’d put a lot of hard work in over the winter and I was desperate to play because I did not have a full season last year.

“I was in the nets and I just got a lifter. The ball spat off the surface and if it had not had hit my arm it would probably have hit my nose instead."