Little Hulton first and second teams have been banned from all cricket cup competitions for the next two years.

The punishment came following a Bolton Association disciplinary inquiry into a series of disturbances by spectators at some of the club's cup matches over the last three years.

Association secretary Roy Cavanagh said the club had been warned previously about crowd problems but the matter came to a head at the end of last season when there was trouble at the Isherwood Cup second teams' final which Little Hulton lost at Clifton.

The club appealed against the decision and part of the ban that would have prevented the team playing in next season's Thwaites Lancashire Knockout has now been lifted.

But Little Hulton are still banned from domestic competitions and are looking to take the matter to the National Cricket Association.

Club chairman Phil Holden said: "It is a sad situation but we do feel we have been victimised by the Bolton Association.

"The people involved in causing the trouble are purporting to be supporters of Little Hulton Cricket Club but they are not club members.

"We know who they are and in fact they are barred from our ground. But we cannot stop them going to other grounds where we are playing. That is a matter for the clubs staging those games while if the Association are involved, such as with the Trinity Cup, then they should take responsibility of policing the game."

The incidents that led to the disciplinary action against the club all took place at away grounds where Little Hulton were playing, including cup-ties at Golborne and Blackrod as well as the Trinity Cup game between the Association and the Bolton League at Tonge in 1999.

"These people could turn up at any game involving two clubs other than Little Hulton and cause trouble. Would we then be held responsible for that?" questioned Mr Holden.

"We have done as much as we can to deter them and since we stopped them coming to our ground we have had no trouble at our home matches.

"We feel it is a social problem rather than a cricketing problem. These people are taking advantage of being able to drink all day in the sun at a cricket match and of course there are inevitable consquences.

"Unfortunately they are following our club around but we do not recognise them whatsoever as supporters of Little Hulton."