THE president of a 100- year-old cricket club has spoken out after it was booted out of a sports pavilion.

The venue at King George V playing field, in Cage Lane, Boxted, was shut suddenly by the parish council, citing health and safety reasons.

It is understood the showers had not been checked for Legionnaires disease and electricity and fire exit certificates were needed.

Council minutes in May stated promises from the sports clubs to donate some bar profits each year to the council to put towards necessary repairs and improvements at the pavilion “have never been fulfilled”.

In addition, the report said the clubs were “not paying any subscriptions for the use of the building and have been invoiced on the basis of ensuring sufficient monies are available for utility bills etc. for the coming year.”

But club president Richard Wilson said: “Firstly it is quite wrong to say that no subscriptions have been paid by the clubs.

“Boxted Parish Council has set an annual sports and social club levy for many years and this, as the cricket club is concerned, has been paid on time.

“There has even been the odd occasion when we have had to remind them to issue an invoice for us to pay.”

Mr Wilson said the basis of the levy had never been revealed but he assumed it was to cover the costs of operating the pavilion and field.

He said there has never been an agreement with the user clubs regarding the allocation of bar profits.

He added: “We understand that following an adverse internal audit report last summer, Boxted Parish Council notified the member clubs it could not continue to run the finances of the clubhouse bar. So subsequent to June 2014 the member clubs took over responsibility for funding of the bar.

“Although bar profits had in the past been used to defray operating costs the inference given to the clubs was that Boxted Parish Council ‘wanted shot’ of anything to do with the financials of the bar. At no time was the question of a donation from bar profits discussed with the cricket club.

“On the basis that our levy has increased dramatically year on year we have assumed the absence of bar profits was being covered in this way.”

Boxted Parish Council declined to comment when contacted by the Gazette.