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Vandals hit Staincliffe CC |
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 Vandals force Staincliffe Cricket Club to call it a day
STAINCLIFFE CC officials have confirmed the club has folded after the pavilion was hit by a spate of vandalism during the winter.
Last October the Halifax Road club, who were founder members of the Central Yorkshire League in 1938, were asked to leave after failing to reply to correspondence.
The club were still confident of continuing playing and had hoped to follow in the footsteps of former CYL giants Mirfield and Heckmondwike, by joining the Huddersfield Central League.
Despite their limited finances, Staincliffe were confident their application would be approved before they were hit by several devastating blows.
The pavilion and changing rooms were vandalised with the showers destroyed and a storage container was also broken into with equipment, used to maintain the field, vandalised.
The ground has become run down and the club have had to admit they have been beaten by the vandals and are unable to continue.
Richard Goldsmith, whose father Bill captained the first team to the CYL Division One title in 1953, said: “I can confirm there will be no cricket at Staincliffe next season. The dressing rooms have been broken into and the facilities are simply not fit to play cricket at any standard.
“It is a great shame, as we had a good ground but the vandals have left the changing rooms in a state, which is just not suitable to change in and we have been forced to pull the plug on joining the Huddersfield Central League.
“The police have their hands tied as they are busy, but the pavilion is at the top end of the field, away from the club, and nobody knows what goes on there on a night.”
The vandalism has also affected Staincliffe WMC football team, who play in the Heavy Woollen Gate Sunday League. They had been using the cricket club’s changing facilities before playing on the adjacent football field on Halifax Road but have been forced to move their home ground to Sands Lane in Dewsbury.
Staincliffe is the latest high profile cricket club to fold following the demise of Dewsbury and Savile, Chickenley and Soothill.
Several players are now looking for new clubs. Anyone who needs players can contact Yousef Kayet on 07976 786678.
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