Danbury Cricket Club could play in village after injury ban

Cricket could be resumed on a village pitch where it had been played for 200 years before a ban was put in place due to fears that flying balls could hurt people.

Play was suspended at Dawson Memorial Field in Danbury, near Chelmsford, after an incident in May when a member of the public was hit on the leg by a ball.

The parish council has now revealed plans to allow cricket to return and said it was holding a consultation as residents' views were "essential before any decision".

"I very much appreciate how accommodating and supportive the residents of Danbury have been, and we fully appreciate this is a fairly seismic decision to make," said Danbury Cricket Club secretary Rory Carlton.

"At this time, we've just got to wait and see what happens, but all we can do is thank the residents for their support."

Currently, the club is playing about 16 miles away (26km) in Rayne, near Braintree, and the pitch comes with an artificial wicket that "significantly reduces the area of play" as well as perimeter fencing, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has said it was willing to cover the cost of a new synthetic cricket wicket and cricket ball stop netting in Danbury, as well as maintenance for 10 years.

Danbury Parish Council said the report of someone being hurt came after notices about two car windows and a roof tile on the leisure centre being broken last season.

It was also claimed three to four balls on average were hit in to the car park each match.

A meeting in September saw councillors vote that there would be no adult cricket played on the pitch for the foreseeable future due to risks.

But following discussions with the ECB, the parish council said it may have found a way forward.

The parish council said one synthetic cricket wicket could replace the existing nine grass wickets and remove the need to rotate wickets in order to get the maximum distance around the pitch all the time.

In addition, permanent fencing could include a stretch of 3m‑high (10ft) wire fencing between the field and car park, while a number of new gates could be locked shut during games.

Extra ball stop netting that could be taken down after each season could also be installed above the wire fencing.

A public consultation will be held on 27 and 28 February to discuss whether residents support the installation of the fencing and netting.

Click here to read article