Kent Cricket News   -------------------------------------------------
http://www.kent.cricket.org   ----------------------- Fri 22 Jan 1999

END OF THE LIME

The 185-year-old lime tree at the St.Lawrence Ground in Canterbury 
has been diagnosed with 'heart wood fungus' and has been given as 
little as 5-10 years to live. But Kent County Cricket Club have spent
£3,000 on a replacement 20-foot high semi-mature lime tree which will be
planted on the other side of the boundary, a short distance away from the
original. 

The St.Lawrence Ground is famous as being the only first-class cricket
ground in the world with a tree inside the boundary - the club plan to
maintain this tradition by moving the new tree into the hole occupied by
the old one at a later date. 

The lime tree has been a talking point at Canterbury for many years - one
of the most discussed points is that any part of the tree counts as a
boundary; i.e. wherever it is hit four runs are scored, even in the top
branches. 

The replacement lime will be planted on February 2nd by cricket writer and
broadcaster E.W.Swanton. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------- 
We would like to apologise for not bringing you the news about the 
lime-tree 24 hours ago when the story first broke - this was due to 
technical problems.
---------------------------------------------------------------------