Cricket banned at 200-year-old Essex ground amid ‘Nimbyism’ accusations

Dawson Memorial Field in Essex has been the setting for village cricket since 1799 - Facebook/Danbury CC

Cricket has been banned at a village pitch after a member of the public was hit on the leg by a ball in a car park.

In what has been called “another story of English Nimbyism”, Danbury Parish Council has confirmed that “no adult hardball cricket” can take place at the village’s Dawson Memorial Field “for the foreseeable future”. Records indicate that cricket had been played at the ground since at least 1799.

The ban comes following a meeting of the council last Wednesday, held more than three months after Telegraph Sport revealed play at the Essex ground had been suspended indefinitely. That came after someone in the car park of the adjacent leisure centre was hit on the leg.

The parish council said last week’s decision was reached following “advice received from professional and legal advisors”.

‘Well and truly banned’

Danbury Cricket Club secretary Rory Carlton called the ban an “absolute tragedy” after it left his and other two clubs – Oaklands and Tuskers – unable to play home fixtures. It puts the futures of all clubs at risk.

“The biggest loss is to the village of Danbury. It really takes something away, that soft benefit for residents.

“We’re trying to find an alternative ground in the local area but, speaking to Essex Cricket, grounds are as rare as hen’s teeth – it’s very difficult to find one.

“[The council] were very keen to say over the summer that it’s not banned; I think it’s safe to say that it is well and truly banned.”

Nimbyism accusations

Phil Walker, editor-in-chief of Wisden Cricket Monthly, said the “demoralising” decision was “unfortunately another story of English Nimbyism”.

He added: “It sets a dangerous precedent because if we are going to move towards this kind of attitude in English life, then there’s a lot of good things out there that are going to fall by the wayside.”

Members of Danbury CC pose for an end-of-season photo in 2022 - X/@DanburyCC

Telegraph Sport revealed in June how two heated meetings had failed to reach agreement on the return of cricket to the village.

The parish council was criticised for a lack of “common sense” and 3,275 people signed a petition before it held an extraordinary meeting on July 9 to decide if the suspension could be lifted.

That meeting determined that “no short-term resolution” was possible and that a further meeting would be held on September 24 following consideration of “a solution to the longer-term resumption of cricket”.

The council added: “Cricket in Danbury is currently played on a multi-use recreation field adjacent to a public car park; on May 17 an incident was recorded whereby a member of the public had been hit on the back of the leg/ankle by a cricket ball. This incident follows reports of two car windows and a roof tile on the Danbury Leisure Centre being broken last season.

“A discussion was held with the cricket teams following the car park incident which revealed that three to four balls on average were hit into the car park every match.

“This led the Parish Council to seek both legal and risk assessment advice, which included a specialist body experienced in assessing risks specifically with regards to cricket.

“The advice from both professionals was to implement mitigation solutions sufficient to prevent injury to residents of Danbury and members of the public using the facilities of the Danbury Leisure Centre and surrounding area. This solution was unequivocal; a minimum of 20 metre high nets would be required, not only along the boundary of the car park but for a significant length of the boundary; the cost of implementation running into tens of thousands of pounds.”

Dawson Memorial Field is the home to Danbury and two other local cricket clubs - Facebook/Danbury CC

It went on: “We hope, having explained the background to the stance the Parish Council had to take, other than facing future potential litigation (in the event of injury) that our residents and supporters of cricket will understand why the Parish Council and its councillors have been upset over the continuous adverse press and social media commentary.

“Finally, to be clear, not one councillor wanted cricket to be suspended. The Parish Council would have put itself in a potentially vulnerable position if it had ignored the advice given by the experts and it has gone the extra mile to find a pragmatic solution that is also fair to all users of the leisure centre and other facilities the recreation grounds offer to its residents and other members of the public.”

Recommended

One of cricket's great traditions is dying out

Play The Telegraph’s brilliant range of Puzzles - and feel brighter every day. Train your brain and boost your mood with PlusWord, the Mini Crossword, the fearsome Killer Sudoku and even the classic Cryptic Crossword.

Source: Cricket banned at 200-year-old Essex ground amid ‘Nimbyism’ accusations