Neighbours from hell ‘ban’ 230-year-old cricket club from hitting sixes after they damaged property

A 230-year-old cricket club has banned players from hitting sixes after neighbours complained about damage to their properties.

Residents surrounding Southwick and Shoreham Cricket Club in West Sussex, which was formed in 1790, have claimed that house windows, cars, sheds, and even people have been hit in the crossfire by airborne cricket balls.

Now, batsmen at the club will not be awarded the highest score from a single shot – which is achieved by hitting the ball over the boundary rope without it bouncing.

If players at the club hit a six, then it will not count for any runs, and if they are “unlucky” enough to do it again, then they will be out.

Mark Broxup, the Southwick club treasurer, said: “We took the proactive decision to ban sixes at the ground after a few incidents in the past when cars, houses and even roofs were damaged.

“We don’t want to have to pay costly insurance or have any legal claims against us so it seemed a sensible thing to do.”

However, the move has caused an uproar amongst players as the laws of the ancient game are rewritten.

One batsman told MailOnline: “Hitting the bowler for a six out is part of the glory of the sport. How can you ban it? It’s ridiculous.

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“To take that away removes the joy of it. I don’t agree that the rules should be tinkered with in this fashion.”

Another player said: “Everything is about health and safety these days and insurance companies are charging a fortune to indemnify sports clubs against accidental damage or injury to bystanders.

“If you buy a house next to a cricket ground then you’ve got expect a few cricket balls in your garden.”

The club was formed during the reign of King George III and the team traditionally plays on the Green – a ground which has short boundaries and its perimeter is surrounded by residential homes.

Mary Gill, 80, whose family has resided next to the green for generations, said: “I’ve lived here all my life and I think the ban is a good thing.

“It’s a very small ground and can’t accommodate the testosterone-fuelled young men who come along and just want to hit the ball as far as they can.”

She said that over the course of her life, as well as her parents and grandparents, airborne cricket balls have caused countless amounts of damage.

It is not the first cricket club to shake up the laws. The St Lawrence ground in Canterbury used to have a tree inside the boundary that gives four runs if hit, and Lancing Manor has two trees behind the bowler’s arm that are worth two runs.