Kington Cricket Club have sensationally quit the Birmingham and District League and will be playing at a much lower level in the Marches League this season.
A player exodus and rising costs in these difficult financial times sparked the decision as the region’s established top club face up to a very different future.
Duncan Morgan, Kington’s chairman, said the Recreation Ground were now looking forward to a new challenge as they start to rebuild after an eventful few months of major decisions behind the scenes.
“There’s only so long you can go on chasing that Birmingham League dream,” he said. “We’ve scraped through on the last day of the season for the last two years and it was only going to get harder to stay in there.
“That became even more clear when we lost three big players over the winter. Chris Powell and Ben Stebbings have both gone to Brockhampton while Owen Price has joined Cheltenham, where he lives.
“To lose those three – all Minor Counties players – takes a big chunk out of your line up. It’s been tough enough over the last two seasons with what we’ve had, but to lose three of your main players wouldn’t have made it any easier.
“We had explored every avenue in trying to find replacements or promoting from within but we ran out of options, and that would only have weakened the second team anyway.”
The financial implications of trying to compete at Birmingham League level also had a major bearing in Kington’s decision. Morgan rev-ealed employing an overseas professional each summer such as Sri Lankan Dharshana Gamage was an expensive exercise, while fuel costs in travelling to away games to places as far away as Lichfield was another consideration.
“There was no point us carrying on chasing that Birmingham League dream and killing the club financially in the process,” stressed Morgan. “That money can now be used on the upkeep of the club.
“The second team found it very difficult last year travelling long distances with weakened sides after the first team were taking players off them on a Friday. And in the present climate, where every penny counts, it was getting very expensive.”
When Kington finally reached the decision to resign from the Birmingham League, suggestions to try and return to the Worcester League were rejected by members as lengthy travel and the costs involved would still have applied.
That’s why Kington will be playing their cricket this year in the Marches League, albeit with a very different looking first team.
A number of other players have said they will be now be looking for new clubs as they wish to play at a higher level.
That list is headed by skipper David Exall, who knows he has to continue to play in the Birmingham League to stay part of Herefordshire’s Minor Counties plans.
Others are likely to head through the exit door, with Morgan expecting no more than four or five of last year’s first teamers, himself included, to remain at the club in the Marches League this summer.
He added Marches League officials had been supportive and were pleased to have Kington’s first team on board – and that the Birmingham League had also been very understanding.
“There’s a huge challenge ahead,” said Morgan. “In the present climate it’s about keeping your expenses to a minimum and being as prudent as you possibly can. We’ve got a lot of good juniors at the club and they need a stepping stone.
“I thoroughly enjoyed playing in the Birmingham League, as did the rest of the team, and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. But I’m looking at it now as a new challenge.”