COUNCIL chiefs last night vowed to think again over controversial plans to evict a sports team from the ground it has used for 175 years.

Civic leaders have drawn up proposals to relocate Lymington cricket Club following claims that stray balls are a danger to other users of the town’s main sports ground.

But cricketers say the move would “decimate” the club and more than 1,200 fans have backed an Internet campaign called Save Lymington.

A final decision was due to have been taken at last night’s meeting of Lymington and Pennington Town Council.

However, the issue was sent back to the amenities committee for further debate, which could result in an alternative solution, such as higher netting.

At the meeting the mayor, Councillor Anna Rostand, cited the controversy surrounding the club’s proposed relocation to an area of open space called Woodside.

She said: “In view of the obvious disquiet felt by many, I believe we should go back to the drawing board and have detailed discussions with all the clubs involved.”

Jubilant members of the cricket club said the deferral would give them valuable breathing space.

In a statement issued just before the meeting, members of the Liberal Democrat opposition group also welcomed the decision but accused the authority of wasting almost £200,000 of public money on improvements to the drainage system at Woodside.

They urged the chairman of the amenities committee, Councillor Penny Jackman, and her predecessor, Councillor Alexander Kilgour, to resign.

However, the ruling Tories said the drainage work had to be done anyway – and claimed it was the Lib Dems who proposed the scheme.

Plans to move the cricket club from its “gold standard”

ground sparked fury after they were unveiled earlier this year.

Councillors cited health and safety fears, claiming cricket balls were landing in neighbouring gardens, the graveyard at St Thomas’s Church and tennis courts next to the pitch. But cricketers said there was no record of anyone ever being hit by a ball from the ground.

The matter will now be discussed at the next meeting of the amenities committee, which is scheduled for January.