Bodicote Cricket Club will not be playing cricket in Bodicote in 2025 - for the first time in over 90 years

The charity that looks after the ground has responded to the angry reactions by many villagers, saying that it has only asked the club to move for one season while it carries out improvements.

However, the club believes its future is unsure due to ongoing issues with the Bodicote Welfare Fund, who are the custodians of Kingsfield, a vital village asset.

The cricket club have played at Kingsfield for over 90 years and says the move has led them to abandon plans to run a 2nd XI again and to give up their place in the South Northants Cricket League.

The club says it is due to a decision by the Bodicote Welfare Fund, the charity that manages Kingsfield, with home games set to take place at North Newington Cricket Club.

There was a great deal of anger online when the cricket club made the announcement. But in response, the Bodicote Welfare Fund said: "We are having maintenance work done on the field and they have been asked to play elsewhere for one season.

And addressing the club's social media post, it added: "These two important facts were missing from the social media post. It's a multi-purpose playing field catering for football and cricket teams all year. This will improve the sports facilities moving forward for everyone."

However, the cricket club responded by saying that the charity has been 'acting unreasonably' ever since a grass cutting incident, which the club says was an accident and has apologised and paid for.

In their latest statement, Bodicote Cricket Club said they feel they have been 'very poorly treated by a charity' - a claim denied by the Bodicote Welfare Fund, which is a charity made up of volunteers, who are responsible for administering Bodicote Village Hall and Kingsfield.

The cricket club went on to say: "As it stands we do not know if we will be able to practice on or even maintain our square in 2025 to allow us to return in 2026... we don’t feel we have any guarantees for our further future given how we have been treated."

A previous club statement said: "We are saddened by the impact on us and on the village community as a whole.

"However, we are very grateful to Broughton and North Newington Cricket Club who have agreed that we can play home matches at their ground in 2025.

"We are also grateful to the South Northants Cricket League and our opponents this season for their assistance in rearranging fixtures to fit in with available dates at Broughton. In addition we have received fantastic support from Oxfordshire Cricket and our sponsors the Horse & Jockey Bodicote.

"We are unsure of what the 2025 season holds for us but the club committee are determined to ensure the club will continue, in its own small way, to provide cricket and the associated benefits of playing sport."