THE Maidstone-based cricket club Lashings have decided to withdraw their amateur sides from the Mid Kent and East Kent Sunday Leagues.

In a statement the club said it had decided that fielding both professional and amateur sides was placing too great a burden on the club, even though the Saturday first XI were promoted from division two of the Mid Kent League last season.

Club chairman and chief executive David Folb said: "It's disappointing but we felt that fielding both amateur and professional sides was causing some degree of animosity locally and we felt that the decision was in the best interests of all concerned."

Folb was known to have been annoyed by negative reaction to his efforts to raise cricket’s profile. He commented: “I think it’s a tragedy that people want someone to fail.”

Lashings said it had received a supportive letter from Mid Kent League secretary Peter Robinson acknowledging the decision. In return, Lashings has continued to pledge its commitment towards local cricket and to that end a game against the Mid Kent League to be played on a Twenty20 basis is being arranged for this season.

Folb added: "We would like to acknowledge the very professional way in which the Mid Kent and East Kent Leagues are being run and we look forward to working closely with them.

"We realise that we have arrived at this decision very late in the day and we would like to apologise for any disruption that this may have caused to clubs' fixture lists.

"It is now important for us to concentrate fully on the professional side of Lashings and spreading the word as far and as wide as possible through our international stars."

The Lashings chairman said cricketing stars signed up for this summer’s fixtures for the Lashings World XI included Indian spinner Harbajhan Singh and Australians Mark and Steve Waugh.