A MYSTERY flooding problem has stumped a 100-year-old village cricket team.

Silksworth Cricket Club may be forced to withdraw from league action after its field became a swamp.

The water is moving towards the wicket - and only the ducks that have moved in from a nearby lake seem to be enjoying it.

The club, in Sunderland, believes its pitch is being flooded by a burst water main, a claim denied by Northumbrian Water.

Now the Surridge Sport Durham Coast League team fears its season is in jeopardy. Committee member Mark Pearson said: "We are in the area of the Vicarage Close Estate, which has had major water bursts over the past month.

"They have repaired one, but our problem is getting worse.

"The water board have taken samples and they say it's not their water.

"So who's water is it? It's not rain water, it's fresh water."

He added: "We dug a sump hole and put a pump on. We were pumping for seven hours and it didn't touch the water. It's like a paddy field."

He added: "From this weekend, I can't see us playing any more cricket unless somebody can help us."

A spokeswoman for Northumbrian Water said: "We have liaised with the customer and have carried out tests which shows the water is not mains water."