HAMPSHIRE cricket Club is being sued for £300,000 for allegedly breaching an agreement with a golfing company to build a driving range on land at the Rose Bowl.

Playgolf have served High Court papers on the club and Rose Bowl plc claiming they are owed the sum in damages after the cricket club pulled out of its deal and offered the contract to a rival firm.

The Manchester-based company is alleging the cricket club allowed them to go through the process of applying for planning permission for the project on the understanding they would ultimately underlease the 20-acre patch of land inside the Rose Bowl complex.

But in the court writ it is alleged that after a share subscription scheme was launched by the club in association with Rose Bowl plc, Playgolf was asked to come up with half-a-million pounds within weeks to invest in company shares by April.

When they failed to come up with the money by the deadline Hampshire Cricket Club, who had also expressed concern that work by Playgolf contractors had not yet started on the site, said the deal was off.

Details of a letter written on April 22 from the club to director of Playgolf David Piggins are outlined in the writ.

It states chief executive Graham Walker wrote: "Along with my fellow directors here, I do not believe that a viable project can now be delivered along any of the lines we have explored with you and reluctantly have concluded therefore that further negotiations with you will not be productive."

Playgolf go on to allege that earlier that month club directors were introduced to rival firm World Golf who had been able to come up with a sum estimated to be £500,000 to invest in Rose Bowl plc.

The writ states: "By early April 2002 Mr (Rod) Bransgrove and Mr Walker had been introduced to World Golf systems group and had entered into negotiations with them which resulted in World Golf subscribing substantial sums (believed to be £500,000) in Rose Bowl plc.

"This was part of a deal under which World Golf was granted, inter alia, the right to develop on the Hampshire County Cricket Club Ltd land, golf facilities similar to those operated by Playgolf."

No-one from Playgolf was available for comment but chief executive of Hampshire Cricket Club Graham Walker told the Daily Echo they would fight the writ.

He said: "All I can say is that we are preparing a robust defence."

Playgolf claims that since they won planning permission for the 60-bay golf driving range project from Eastleigh council in February the value of the land is now worth £610,000 more than it was before permission was granted.

The £300,000 suit represents compensation for their efforts in raising the value of the land along with their expenses to date for architects and consultants in designing the project.

The company eventually won planning permission from Eastleigh planners despite strong opposition from nearby residents.