BARNARDS Green has lost the services of an overseas player before a ball has even been bowled of the new season.

Club officials have attacked a decision by the Home Office to deport 30-year-old Nash Jones back to Grenada on Monday.

Nash spent just six days in Malvern, having intended to spend six months here on holiday and playing cricket for Barnards Green.

Club secretary Robin Longmore said immigration officers had doubts that Nash would return to Grenada after six months.

"Nash checked everything with officials in Grenada before he left and everything seemed to be fine," he said.

"It's a crying shame he had to go back and we hope it hasn't put him off coming here again."

Nash was due to stay with the club's captain, Chris Smedley, and his family.

The two men met when Chris and his wife got married out in Grenada.

Chris said: "Nash was the cocktail barman at our hotel. We both shared a love of cricket and became good friends, he said it was one of his dreams to come to England, so we invited him over. We thought we'd take him to London and show him around places in the country while he was here."

He said he felt extremely frustrated and disappointed at the decision to send him back.

"He was such a lovely, lovely bloke, everyone who met him here fell in love with him and we feel he would have added diversity to our team. He'd worked for two-and-a-half months to save for his air-fare."

He said Nash would not have been paid for playing for the club.

"We're only a little club and can't afford to pay him, it was just a holiday," he said.

A Home Office spokesman said the department would not comment on an individual's immigration status, but said anyone seeking to enter the UK is assessed according to immigration rules.