WG Grace and Don Bradman may be spinning in their graves at the news that an English cricket club have switched to using a vegan ball from the traditional leather one.

Earley Cricket Club in Reading, a town 64 kilometers west of London had already introduced a vegan tea for their players.

That was down to their founder and chairman Gary Shacklady who found most cricket club teas consisted of ham sandwiches, not much use to him when he became a vegan. Now they have gone the full hog and introduced a vegan cricket ball - a synthetic animal products-free one covered in rubber.

"It does behave like a leather cricket ball, but it bounces more," Shacklady said.