The widow of former record-holder David Laitt was pleased that Keith Arnold had broken her husband’s long-standing Oxfordshire mark.

Heather Laitt, who lives in Wheatley, called the Oxford Mail at 8.15am on Monday to pass on her regards.

She said: “I congratulate Keith on getting the record.

“My son said no-one is going to do it because if they were that good, they would be professional, but records are there to be broken.”

Mrs Laitt was a big supporter of her husband, who died in 1998, aged 66. She still has a collection of newspaper cuttings and his career statistics.

“When David started, it was known as the schoolmasters’ team because only they had enough holiday time to play,” she said.

“With David working at Atomic Energy, he got six weeks’ holiday.

“We never went away on holiday, it was always spent on cricket!”

Laitt took 63 fewer matches to claim his record 670 victims and was 42 when he retired from Oxfordshire duty.

It is unlikely anyone will get close to Laitt or Arnold, not least because Oxon now play just six Championship matches a year.