A SPORTSWEAR company launched by England and Sussex cricket legend James Kirtley looks set to go bust.

Kirtley set up MKK Sports Limited more than ten years ago with three business partners supplying sports clubs throughout the country with kits.

High profile clients included Sussex and Middlesex County Cricket Clubs (CCC).

But a creditors' meeting is taking place in Brighton today with a view to put the company into liquidation, The Argus understands.

MKK is owned by Splice Investments Limited which has a registered office in Lewes.

Splice Investments Limited, in turn, owns Newbery Cricket which is based at Sussex CCC's home in Hove.

Kirtley has confirmed that he left the business 14 months ago and that he has had no involvement in MKK since then.

He said: "I sold the company two and a half years ago because I genuinely felt that I couldn’t take it any further.

"We had reached a ceiling and I couldn’t provide the investment needed.

"It was a chapter in my life which I have now moved on from, and I am enjoying life doing other things.

"This is a great shame and all I can say is that I did everything that I thought was right.

"We had a very good product and we knew what we were good at."

In 2010 he told The Argus: "When we launched MKK the guiding principal was to make the high quality kit that the professionals use accessible to amateurs.

"We started with a handful of professional and amateur cricket clubs and now, four years later, we are represented in virtually every sporting arena."

Angry customers have taken to Twitter to express their displeasure at the company, claiming they have ordered kit but not had it delivered.

Andrew Miller, MD at Newbery Cricket, initially denied to The Argus any links between MKK and Newbery.

He said: "We use them as a supplier and we are a creditor owed money as well. There is no involvement other than from a suppliers point of view."

But on the MKK website it says: "Newbery and MKK are one company."

And on Mr Miller's own LinkedIn profile, he wrote: "Newbery Cricket and MKK are newly merged."

The Argus also referred him to an online jobs advert where Newbery are advertising for retail staff. It describes the company seeking applicants as "Newbery Cricket/MKK Sport" and anyone interested is asked to email Mr Miller.

When we went back to Miller, he refused to comment further.