A senior Oxfordshire Cricket Board official has backed Kidlington CC in their fight to stay in The Oxford Times Cherwell League.

Kidlington face a vote of expulsion at an EGM at Bicester & North Oxford CC next Thursday. But now, Chris Bishop, chairman of the OCB’s clubs, competitions and leagues committee, has urged clubs to back Kidlington, saying that the OCB hoped they would be given a year’s grace to get their house in order. In a letter to clubs, he said: “It can be seen that the evidence sent to all member clubs shows a club whose management and behaviour at most levels is in need of improvement.

“However the newly-elected club executive at Kidlington promises total commitment to make sufficient changes so as to provide a proper environment for competitive, but friendly cricket in 2009.

“This county can ill afford to lose one of only 12 clubs that have achieved Clubmark status, which does indicate a structure that will find it comfortable to reach the standards asked for by the Cherwell League.

“We do hope that Kidlington CC can be given 12 months to carry out such improvements and given a stringent audit next autumn by the league executive to continue to provide a good cricket environment for years ahead."

But in a further development, OCB chairman Chris Clements has issued a statement to clubs, which disassociates the Board from Bishop’s comments, and appear to leave him at loggerheads with his county colleague.

He said: “The board executive has not formally discussed the matters surrounding the recent events and have not as yet expressed an opinion.

“Any OCB member who spoke at the recent highly-publicised AGM of the Cherwell League spoke on behalf of their clubs and not the OCB.

“Kidlington CC approached OCB for support and advice and that has been handled, quite correctly, by the chairman of the clubs, competitions and leagues board committee.

“The Cherwell League have not approached us on this matter. I have contacted the chairman of the league offering support and await a reply.

“The issue from the OCB perspective is that as the governing body for cricket in the county we are responsible for the ‘Spirit of Cricket’ as built into the Laws of the Game.

“The ‘Spirit of Cricket’ message does not just apply to the players, it applies to all of us and as a consequence the bad press surrounding this affair is a matter of concern to us.

“The e-mail sent previously was an attempt to collate a neutral view of the Oxfordshire clubs and nothing more, it was not expressing an opinion.”