THE sound of leather on willow has switched to murmurings of discontent in one village after a millionaire Austrian count plans to build homes on a cricket pitch.

For 20 years The Piggery field in the centre of Winterbourne Bassett, near Avebury, has been used as a recreational area by villagers and as the pitch for Winterbourne Bassett Cricket Club

But just days before the cricket season was about to start, a fence was put up across the field by its owner, Count Konrad Goess-Saurau, preventing access to the pitch.

The Count, who established the Marlborough Cup and is a benefactor to Marlborough Rugby Club, is based at the 4,500-acre Temple Farm in Ramsbury.

He has not renewed the cricket club's lease on the land and announced his wish to sell a part of it for four homes.

The Count has appointed four trustees who live in the village to administer and maintain the land while his company, Everset Holdings, attempts to sell a 30 metre strip next to the road running through the centre of the village.

The trustees, who are working on the project as unpaid volunteers, say they are attempting to ensure the whole field is not sold for development. They say the fence has been erected so that a potential buyer can see exactly the area being sold.

They have a legal agreement with Count Goess, through Everset Holdings, that if the strip of land is sold for houses then the remaining part of the field, containing the cricket pitch, will be given in perpetuity to a village trust.

The asking price of the land is just under £1 million, and if it is sold the Count will give 10 per cent of the selling price, expected to be £95,000, to the village to pay for the maintenance and development the field.

Trustee David Keig, 54, a commercial director, said: "We want to limit any extended development of the field there could be, and facilitate the best use of it for the village that we can.

"This is not a case of us and them we have taken on this case without payment because we want to do what we believe is best for the village."

But villagers are angry at the move, which they say is destroying their tranquil way of life.

George Horton, 39, has always lived in the village and his family has farmed the area for 50 years.

He said: "The village has always been relaxed up until now. This is the first time I have seen it split in two.

"In 20 years the cricket club has gone from strength to strength."

Fellow resident Mike Hopkins, 45, said: "This is a classic English village scene. When a game is in progress people come up and sit around with the papers, enjoying a pint or two.

"People use the field for all sorts of reasons, not just cricket, and there is something fundamentally wrong that someone can just erect a fence and end it."

Des Clarke, chairman of Winterbourne Bassett Cricket Club, said: "We are trying to negotiate with the trustees appointed by the Count. At this stage I am unable to comment any further."

Count Goess was contacted but was unavailable for comment.