BLADE-studded football boots similar to the ones worn by England skipper David Beckham have been banned by a Kent soccer league. The MacDonald Mailing Herne Bay and Whitstable Sunday League kicked out the boots, which can cost up to £150, after two players received injuries from the metal studs.

One player needed stitches in a deep gash, while the other was left with a v-shaped cut in his leg. Adidas, who make Beckham's Predator boots say the Sunday league are the first in the country to ban the studs. The league, though, have written to club officials and referees, and say they are perfectly within their rights.

League chairman Martin Naylor said they had checked with Keith Masters, chief executive of the KCFA, about the ban. "He told us we were covered under the rules concerning dangerous items," added Mr Naylor. "We haven't banned the rubber moulded studs, only the metal ones.

"We have asked referees to check players' boots and if they turn up in these boots, they will not be allowed to play. We do have sympathy with someone who has just splashed out £100 on a pair of these boots, but player safety is our priority. So far, we have only had one team complain about the ban."

The PA Grant Canterbury League, played on a Saturday, and the ParkerSteel East Kent Youth League are to discuss the situation in the next few days. Les Barleycorn, who is chairman of both leagues, said they were aware of the Sunday League's decision.

"We have not had any reports of injuries from these studs yet, but we will be considering the situation," he added.

"It's probably more relevant to the youth league, because I expect a lot of parents have bought these type of boots."

The players injured were Jeremy Baines, representing Tyler Hill Reserves against East Kent Gills and Paul Howland for Anaheim against Albion. Mark Takacs, who was refereeing the Tyler Hill match, and reported the incident to the league, said he welcomed the ban.

"It was a 50-50 ball and there was no intent, but it was a very nasty gash high up on the thigh," he explained. "It was only a few inches long, but at least an inch deep and an inch wide. If the other player had been wearing normal studs they would probably have just left a bruise. I called an ambulance and told the player wearing the blade boots to go and change them.

Bill Clark, who runs Tyler Hill, said he had told his players not to buy the blade-studded boots. "Not only because they are dangerous, but because they don't work very well in the type of conditions we play in," he said.

"Players in our league often have to walk across all sorts of surfaces, broken concrete and tarmac, to get to pitches, and the studs can get scratches and sharpen up.

They also can't stand up when the pitches get very muddy and boggy in the middle of winter. David Beckham doesntt really have that problem in the Premiership."

In a statement, Adidas said: "We are always willing to discuss with clubs or players any comments. Before we introduced our exchangeable Traxionstuds they underwent extensive testing by independent laboratories.

"The studs comply with the stingent safety standards of the TUV Gmbh, one of Europe's leading safety authorities. FIFA has also confirmed that the outsoles of our boots are 'no more dangerous to other players during matchplay than other traditional soccer outsoles.'"

The firm intended to contact Mr Naylor and might examine the boots involved.