A team of young cricketers have been denied a place in this summer's Raffinger Matchplay quarter finals - despite finishing all their group matches with a 100 per cent record.

Maldon have been eliminated following a dispute involving the outcome of their group one match against Great Burstead.

Maldon won the initial match comfortably, but because it was played on a synthetic wicket - against the competition's rules - the result was declared void by tournament administrator Bernard Chatterley, who the club claims then ordered the match to be replayed.

Burstead failed to honour the second fixture but the league failed to award Maldon the points for a walkover.

Chatterley was unavailable for comment, but Alan Lilley, Essex CCC development officer, who helps run the competition, said: "There is no way I would want to stop any youngster playing cricket. But there has been a breach of the competition's rules here.

"Maldon did not act within the regulations by failing to inform the administrators the second game had taken place within the 48 hours stipulated, so we had to rule no match in fairness to all our other clubs."

Maldon Cricket Club chairman Kim Broadhurst said: "The many rules of this competition seem to cater for everything except commonsense."

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.