THE Sittingbourne-based cricket club Gore Court are back in the Kent League's premier division after an absence of several years.

They gained promotion for the second season running by taking eight points when their division one game at Dartford was called off because of a wet wicket.

Court, helped by a considerable donation from the late John Paul Getty and generous sponsors, finished second behind champions Beckenham.

“We have gained promotion with a side of Premier Division standard,” said 37-year-old captain Nigel Sharp, but he added that Court will definitely be going out to strengthen the team.

“It was a lot harder to win promotion than we thought,” said Sharp. “Our league policy was to aim for the maximum 20 points by winning the toss and batting first and then relying on our bowlers to dismiss the opposition.”

Former England and Kent paceman Martin McCague, the joint leading wicket taker in the league with 44 with Sandwich’s Craig Spanton, provided the cutting edge of the attack, along with Middlesex’s Simon Roberts.

Sharp intends to skipper for just one more season and also staying with the club are McCague and former Kent wicketkeepers Steve Marsh and Stuart Waterton.

Meanwhile, the Maidstone-based club The Mote have been demoted from the premier division for the first time in their history. Tunbridge Wells have also lost their top flight status.

The Mote, desperate for a 20 points maximum tally in their final game of the season against third-placed Whitstable, produced another dismal batting display and lost by two wickets off the last ball.

The county town team thus suffered the indignity of finishing at the bottom of the table.

Any hopes Tunbridge Wells had of staying up were extinguished by a 144 hammering against Lordswood.

The Mote captain James Barr said: "We have only won two games and can't complain. Batting has proved to be our downfall. We have been 25 or 30 runs short in virtually every game."

He did, however, single out out James Hodgson, who averaged over 50 in the league, and Chris Back.

Barr, who will stand down as skipper, thinks it's up to the players to adopt a different approach. He stressed: "They must realise that if they are going to play for the first team they must turn out more than once a week."

Barr feels that The Mote, hoping to bounce back at the first attempt, should look more to their younger players next season as they have fewer commitments.