Historic Cricket Ground In England Indefinitely Shut Down After Ball Hit A Person

A cricket ground in England has been closed indefinitely after a person was hit by a ball on the back of a leg in the car park. Dawson Memorial Field in Danbury, a venue used by Danbury Cricket Club, Oaklands Cricket Club and Tuskers Cricket Club, will see no cricket for the rest of the season after an agreement was not reached in two recent heated meetings.

The club said the alleged incident occurred on May 17, when Danbury Cricket Club played the third team of South Woodham and Burnham. The Danbury Parish Council said it took the decision owing to public safety issues, according to a report in The Telegraph.

“The parish council has taken professional advice which will minimise the risks – the fact that there were at least two car windows, within the last year, smashed by cricket balls being hit into the adjacent car park, across a public footway, indicates that there is a risk to people who are accessing the facilities and as such would be potentially invalidate its insurance cover and risk litigation if it were to totally ignore the advice that has been received," the council said.

The venue has hosted Danbury CC for 50 years, with cricket having been played in the village since the 18th century. All three clubs which use the venue have now had to move to a pitch 20 miles away from Danbury. A petition calling for the resumption of cricket in the village has garnered almost 3,000 signatures.

"This decision not only disrupts these teams but threatens to sever a tradition that has been interwoven into the fabric of Danbury's community life for over three centuries, with written record of a match in 1799," read the petition.

"Danbury's cricketing legacy deserves to be protected and cherished. By reinstating cricket matches, we uphold a cherished heritage, support local talent, and continue to foster community spirit."

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Rory Calton, 36, the club secretary of Danbury CC, said no player had recollection of the incident and that the closure could spell doom for the existence of the clubs.

"It's catastrophic for us and the other clubs. It's a wider issue that there's a shortage of grounds, perhaps through things like this. We have no other place to play," Mr Calton told EssexLive.

"If you have no pitch, we get kicked out of the league, but more than that, all our players would leave and we would cease to be a club. It turns into a negative spiral, and once it's gone, it's unlikely it would be restored."

As per Mr Carlton, the club has full public liability insurance for any damages caused by cricket at the ground.