CHELMSFORD Chieftains have parted company with star forward Danny Hammond.
Player-coach Gary Clarke said it was a tough decision to make and praised Hammond for what he has done for the club.
"It is not often that you have a player that is from Chelmsford and has the impact that Danny Hammond has had over his time here," Clarke said. "It is very hard to make decisions that essentially count that player out of plans moving forward. Hammy is a great guy and someone I have a lot of respect for, however, I like the team to play a certain way and that way does not suit Hammy.
"It's a role he doesn't thrive in and therefore I feel it is best we part company. Hammond is a massive individual talent, he will be an asset on any team in our league. I know that deep down he will be back wearing a Chieftains jersey once more in the future.
"These decisions are not easy for anyone involved. In fact the decision was so difficult that it took a significant amount of time after the season had ended for me to make it, but for the good of the team going forward and I do believe it is the right decision."
Clarke added: "Obviously we have had a very successful trophy run over the last couple of years and Hammy put up unbelievable numbers at times across that stint. He is a high calibre player with an unusual combination of speed and skill.
"Unfortunately, athletes do not work in normal employment conditions where status quo is often the most productive strategy for trying to repeat success. We believe that even in the context of back to back multi trophy seasons, we cannot stand still and leave everything untouched because not one other team trying to knock us off will be standing still."
At present the only name on the Chieftains team sheet for 2013-14 is Clarke himself in what will be his third season in charge of the Riverside team.
The club will be making more player announcements over the coming weeks and months as they build towards the new campaign where Clarke will be leading his team to defend their league and play-off double and will be looking to add to their silverware with the cup competition the elusive trophy this past season.
