A junior cricket club's chairman was devastated when he saw a ten-foot tall sign put up by a sponsor.

OFF SCREEN: The offending sign, which has now been removed

"Fancy A Shag", the sign proclaimed to motorists driving through his normally calm village, and then continued with the words Next Left.

Only very tall pedestrians willing to brave the stinging nettles on the verges could have seen over the cricket field hedge and spotted the missing word 'pile?' lower down.

The eye-catching sign was put up by Calverts Carpets in Nawton, near Kirkbymoorside, in return for sponsoring the village's young cricket hopefuls.

Club chairman Brian Lumley could not believe his eyes when he saw what had been put up. He had been expecting a smaller, direction-only sign.

Mr Lumley, who is disabled, struggled alone in vain to move the sign, emblazoned across one of the club's old sight screens.

He was nearly in tears as he talked of the months of work that had gone into finding a sponsor to help encourage cricket for the village's youngsters.

"I trusted them," he said. "I didn't expect the sign to be like this. I only did it for the kids."

Mr Lumley said: "The cricket club wishes to apologise for any hurt or distress caused to any member of the public."

He explained that last December the cricket club decided to look for sponsorship and he offered James Calvert, of Calverts Carpets, the use of the old sight screen for advertising.

In return, Mr Calvert agreed to help meet the cost of maintenance and improvements to the recreation ground and to promote the junior game in the community.

Mr Lumley said as well as directly supporting the young cricketers, a sponsorship deal was agreed with Beckett Recreation Club - the cricket club's landlords.

He said: "We accepted on the condition the sight screens would be used only for signage to the shop and they would be mobile and be an acceptable size and colour.''

Ryedale District Council chairman Coun Gary Hobbs, who represents the Kirkbymoorside ward, said: "The sign was crude and offensive and I'm very pleased that the cricket club authorities took prompt action by pushing over the offending sight screen."

James Calvert, of Calverts Carpets, said the sign had been put up in good humour and had now been amended.

"Legally, there is no reason to change the sign. It could have stayed there but, as a gesture of goodwill, we changed it."

Mr Calvert said he was providing substantial sponsorship for village cricket and the recreation ground.

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