GWR Cricket Club will fold by the end of the month unless there is a dramatic change in their fortunes.

The groundless club have written to the council in a last-ditch effort to preserve their 153-year existence.

At the end of September, the cricketers were evicted from their Shrivenham Road ground, where they have played since 1931, by site owners DDCS Properties Limited.

Chairman John Crawford admitted that the future looks bleak.

He said: "We held an extraordinary general meeting and decided to make one more attempt at the council to see if there is anything they can do to resolve the situation.

"But it is a very faint hope. Writing to the council is a last-gasp measure. We are knackered.

"But nobody wants to be the person to say 'let's kill the club'. If there is even a faint chance of us getting a good grass wicket, then we will take it. You can never say never."

DDCS, a consortium of developers headed by England football team masseur Steve Slattery, bought the site from British Rail in 1997.

The company planned to rehouse the cricket team, using money raised from the construction of 145 houses on the site.

However, after months of political wrangling, planning permission was refused.

DDCS were not drawing any rent on the site and wanted to use the main pavilion to generate income. They took over the cricket field for their own use.

GWR hunted for a new venue but were unable to find anywhere near suitable.

They looked at a pitch at the Royal Military College of Sciences in Shrivenham, but it was costly and security concerns meant that every player would have to be signed in.

Mr Crawford said: "Our forte is youngsters, in coaching them and bringing them through. We had ten players in Wiltshire sides this year.