FRINGFORD, one of the favourites for the Telegraph Cup, are up in arms after being thrown out of the competition by the OCA League.

The Premier Section Division 3 club claim they have been treated shoddily for failing to notify cups secretary Peter Baring that they were unable to play their first-round tie on the specified date.

Now they have taken legal advice in a bid to be reinstated.

Fringford were due to entertain Eynsham on Saturday, May 9, but claim their ground was unfit and in line with the rules, they made plans to rearrange the game eight days later for Sunday, May 17.

Fringford skipper Neville Blake said they informed Eynsham, the umpires and the umpires' sceretary, but they were unable to contact cups secretary Baring.

"I tried to ring him and I couldn't get an answer, and then I received a phone call saying we had been thrown out," said Blake.

"He said you can appeal and send a letter of appeal, and they didn't even listen to us or read it. He rang me to say the letter had been discussed without a hearing and we were still out of the cup."

It was then that Fringford decided to take legal advice.

Baring explained that for any cup game to be called off, he had to be contacted.

He said Fringford had rung him over a week before the game was due to be played, and he advised them to contact him nearer the day of the game to see what the situation was then.

However, he didn't hear from them again, and the decision to disqualify Fringford from the competition was taken by an executive committee meeting.

Meanwhile, Eynsham have since been handed a second walkover into the last eight after Wantage withdrew from the competition - for which they have been fined £25.

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