Hartley Country Club insist their shock resignation from the Kent League Premier Division is not because of money.

The six-time champions will play in Division 5 this season after pulling out less than three months before the start of the season.

Hartley’s 1st XI won promotion back to the top tier last summer but every member of that team has now left the club.

Only two of last year’s 2nd XI remain at Hartley so they, too, have dropped down to the bottom level of the Kent League system.

Rumours have been rife during the winter but Hartley chairman John Tucker says their critics are wide of the mark.

He said: “We had a very generous donation but none of this money ever went to players, which is one of the bones of contention.

“Hartley don’t pay and haven’t paid, apart from one player last year from Sussex who was paid for a couple of matches to get us back into the Premier Division.

“People don’t believe it. If you can find out who has been paying the money, I would love to know because I don’t know.

“We had a committee meeting last week and I said ‘someone must know if they’re so convinced we’ve been paying money’ and they said ‘there’s no-one here who could pay – not that we know of’ but if they say they have been, who’s paid them? No-one will say who.”

Tucker has been a Hartley member for 70 years, the last 11 of which have brought almost wall-to-wall success.

Hartley’s 1st XI won the Premier Division title in 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016, finishing runner-up twice and third once before going down in 2017.

Last season’s promotion put them back at the top table but things then started to unravel.

Tucker said: “A couple of our stars left and that really depleted us.

“What was then the 2nd XI said they would play 1st XI cricket but by then, they’d been promoted to the Premier Division and I think all of these people got cold feet.

“They’ve gone back to their original clubs and we’ve lost 24 members.

“We have seen it coming. Once you become successful, people hate you and make up nasty rumours which are completely untrue. Envy creeps in I’m afraid.

“You get a bad name by being successful. I saw it with Bromley and I think it’s been happening with Hartley as well.

“It’s very disappointing but we’ll rise up again. The only people left are the loyal ones who have been here a long time.

“We’ll probably stay in these divisions for a couple of years and one of the teams may go up to the fourth or third division.

“We’ve only got 35 members at the moment and who knows? There may even be more to leave yet.”

Hartley have resigned from the Kent Regional League but will continue to run a reduced colts section this season.