A CRICKET team has resigned from the league it played in and is closing down.

Denholme Clough Cricket Club had become embroiled in a dispute with its new landowner, which resulted in the club leaving its ground at Denholme Gate.

A spokesman for the Spenser Wilson Halifax Cricket League has announced that Denholme Clough CC pulled out of the league because it would not be able to confirm whether it had found a new home before a deadline of December 31.

Club secretary Mohammed Yousaf has now said that the club will have to fold. Commenting on Denholme Clough CC’s Facebook page he thanked everyone who had helped to try and save it. He said: “Denholme Clough will be forced to fold as a result of not having a ground for the coming season. Several grounds that were possibly available, on further enquiry are no longer available to us. So, with sad regret, after five long hard-grafting years, building a team from nothing to finally win trophies with all three of our teams, we’re being forced to call it a day.

“It is sad when you realise we have over 50 playing members, whereas other teams can’t put two full teams out.”

A spokesman for the league said: "It is with much regret that the Spenser Wilson Halifax Cricket League accepted the resignation of Denholme Clough CC at its executive meeting.

"Sadly this is not a story of a club having a shortage of players but one where it has found it impossible to find a new ground by December 31, the deadline due because of the necessity to formulate fixtures for 2017.

"At the end of the last season Denholme Clough CC was given an ultimatum by its ground owner to accept a rent increase or vacate its Denholme Gate home. The club was forced to resign its leasehold.

"Efforts to find a replacement ground have failed, despite the help and assistance of the Yorkshire Cricket Board and the Halifax Cricket League."

As previously reported, Denholme Clough CC had given up hope of being able to continue playing at its Keighley Road ground.

The club warned in early October that its future was in doubt after its new landowner asked it to pay £625 a month in return for players being allowed to stay at Denholme Gate.

The landowner, who did not want to be named, countered that he had done nothing wrong, adding that the club could hardly expect to use someone else's land for free.

He said the club's members should easily have been aware that this land was on the market before he bought it, and could have put an offer in for the property themselves.