Kent's wooden fielder no more

The only tree inside the boundary of a first-class cricket ground in England was blown down by high winds after 158 years as a wooden fielder.

The lime tree at Kent's ground in Canterbury, south-east England, deprived generations of players of a six.

"It was a very, very effective fielder," said club curator David Robertson on Tuesday.

"We feel shock and sadness really, it was one of the great traditions of Kent cricket."

Shots blocked by the tree were counted as a four and only three batsmen cleared the 90-foot tree to score a six - Middlesex's Jim Smith in 1939, and West Indians Learie Constantine in 1928 and Carl Hooper in 1992.

The club might replace the tree, blown down early on Saturday, and is considering turning its remains into souvenirs.