Kidlington CC are back in league cricket after being accepted into the Oxfordshire Cricket Association (OCA) for next season.

The village club, who were controversially thrown out of The Oxford Times Cherwell League by their fellow clubs earlier this year following a catalogue of misdemeanours, return to the OCA after an 11-year absence.

They will run two league sides – in divisions to be decided – plus a friendly team.

Kidlington staged an eleventh-hour bid to join the OCA this season only to withdraw their application when they realised it was too late. Chairman John Moss said: “We would like to thank the OCA for all the support we have received during this process.

“We would also like to express a great thank you for all those teams who have played against us and supported us during this season, and would hope to keep these fixtures during next season against our friendly team.

“This is great news for our club, and we look forward to a good level of cricket for next season.”

Welcoming Kidlington back into the OCA, league president Nick Treweeke said: “It is a good ground and they were in the league years ago. We are pleased to have them back.”

Treweeke was happy that Kidlington had turned over a new leaf.

He added: “The league has not got a problem with them coming back at all. They have been treated the way they have and have accepted what happened. We just move forward and get competitive cricket played.”

Kidlington were members of the OCA up until 1999 when they moved into the Cherwell League after winning Division 1.

They stormed up the Cherwell, winning the top flight in 2005 to earn promotion to the Home Counties Premier League.

However, the club suffered a miserable time last season, resulting in their first team being relegated back to the Cherwell.

Never far from controversy, a series of misdemeanours – involving playing ineligible players and fielding players under false names – culminated in Cherwell chiefs proposing that their membership be reaffirmed at the annual meeting.

When this was exposed as a flawed proposal, an extraordinary general meeting was called when Kidlington faced two proposals of expulsion – one from the league executive and one from a gang of ten clubs – and they were duly given the boot.

Since then the club have made big efforts to return to their village roots – something which has been recognised by the cricketing fraternity in Oxfordshire with the clubs that have played friendlies against including those who voted them out of the Cherwell.

Meanwhile, Kidlington have decided to withdraw from the ECB Clubmark programme.

Moss added: “This is a real shame to be honest, as we were the first club in Oxfordshire to achieve this status, but with a lot less senior members in our club, it is nearly impossible to keep running.

“This will not affect our youth development, and we will continue to work closely with our local schools like we used to do years ago.”