CHRISTCHURCH have been forced to withdraw from the Dorset Sunday top flight – just weeks after concerns were voiced over the future of the league.

The league confirmed that the Hurn Bridge outfit had pulled out of the division after struggling to field a team during the opening weeks of the season.

Christchurch were only able to name nine men in their starting line-up against Fovant earlier this term after playing with 10 for the 2013 curtain-raiser at Corfe Mullen.

And having scratched their next three games due to the player shortage, the latest cancelled match being on Sunday, Christchurch are now out of Division One Sunday cricket.

A brief notice on the Dorset Cricket Board website stated: “Unfortunately, Christchurch have withdrawn from Dorset Sunday League Division One. Therefore, would all clubs please remove them from your fixture list.”

Christchurch Cricket Club chairman Steve Donaldson told the Daily Echo: “If you pull out of three games in a season, you have to pull out of the league.

“We only had seven players available on Sunday and, the week before, we only had four.”

The development came hot on the heels of Donaldson revealing his fears for Sunday cricket in an interview with the Daily Echo last month. Speaking at the time, he said: “Sundays have been an absolute nightmare. We had two teams last year but struggled to field two teams every week.

“We went down to one this season thinking we would be okay but, a lot of the time, people can’t commit to both Saturday and Sunday.

“They did suggest a Twenty20 competition instead of the 40 overs but a lot of the villages didn’t want that because of the revenue from games, teas and bar takings, so they went against it. Something needs to be done because I think it will just die on its feet.”

Christchurch also run teams in Division Two and Division Four of the Dorset Saturday League.

  • High-flying Corfe Mullen suffered their first defeat of the season when they lost by 42 runs at the hands of Fovant.

Richard Witherington (4-30) starred with the ball as Fovant were restricted to 158 for nine. But despite the best efforts of Martin Wood (28) and captain Peter Hoar (26), in-form Corfe Mullen fell short on 116.

  • Eric Linge hit 29 and Anthony Ireland claimed two for 24 but they could not save Ferndown Wayfarers (96) from a seven-wicket hammering against St Georges (100-3).
  • Winton (180-5) registered their first victory of the campaign with a five-wicket success over Shillingstone (178-9).

Elsewhere, Swanage (146) were beaten by two wickets in their top-of-the-table clash with Dewlish (147-8).