Harley James, who has been jailed for possession of child pornography, in action for Sefton Cricket Club.

A former Canterbury cricketer has dropped his appeal for permanent name suppression after he was jailed for possession of child sex abuse images.

Harley James, who played a handful of games for Canterbury in the late 1990s and early 2000s, was sentenced last month in the Christchurch District Court to two years and three months' imprisonment.

The 39-year-old admitted to charges of distributing nine objectionable child sex abuse images online and possessing 3450 images, 65 per cent of which were assessed at being at the worst level of child sexual abuse.

DEE WILSON James, pictured here in 2002, played five first-class games for Canterbury in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

The material, found hidden on James' computer and an external hard drive, involved sadism and sexual activity with toddlers, pre-pubescent children and young teenagers. The charges refer to images of the sexual abuse of girls as young as 2-years-old.

READ MORE: Child sadism and bondage found in Canterbury sportsman's stash of exploitative images

James had applied to the High Court for an appeal against Judge Brian Callaghan's decision to refuse an application for final name suppression. However, on July 20 his lawyer Andrew McCormick filed notice abandoning the appeal.

McCormick said last month James was well known in church and sporting circles. He said James, who attended a STOP course for sexual offenders, was mortified by his behaviour and urged suppression be granted to protect his family. However, the Department of Internal Affairs, which laid the charges, opposed suppression.

Crown prosecutor Sean Mallett told the judge: "the children received no anonymity when their images are traded on the internet. They continue to be victimised."

When contacted, Sefton Cricket Club president Chris Rowe said James returned to play for the club last year after a gap of about 15 years.

He was a batsman and played for the Sefton premier team in their loss against Cheviot in the Canterbury Country premier club cricket final in March.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, James played five first-class games for Canterbury. He also played Hawke Cup representative cricket for Canterbury Country.

Rowe said the club was considering what, if anything, it could do for James' family. His offending was serious, it could not be condoned, and it was a family tragedy.