
Cricket called off in Danbury after man says he was hit by a ball
Man 'hit on leg' by ball
Cricket was suspended after an alleged incident on 17 May when Danbury Cricket Club played South Woodham and Burnham's third team. According to the club, an entry was made in the incident log at the nearby leisure centre stating somebody was "hit by a cricket ball on [the] leg whilst unloading/loading his car".Mr Carlton, 36, said none of the players playing that day had any recollection of the incident, and added: "When you are playing cricket, your eyes are focused on the ball and you are following that and tracking that, so we are trying to understand how that happened."Signs have now been put up around the boundary of the cricket pitch, adjacent to the public car park, stating that the sport is currently suspended. Danbury Cricket Club is not the only team to use the pitch, and it is also home to two other cricket teams, Tuskers and Oaklands. Mr Carlton hopes the parish council will let them all play again soon. He added: "It's a really sad state of affairs. For the community, it would be such a shame for cricket to stop being played here."I found a record of a game in 1799 against Little Baddow, which Danbury won, so if it was to cease, it would just be a real tragedy."
Danbury Parish Council has organised a meeting for residents to discuss the future of cricket in the village on 19 June.Councillor April Chapman, the council chairman, said: "Cricket has not been banned in Danbury. There was an incident where someone in our car park was hit by a cricket ball. "A majority of the council at a subsequent meeting decided to suspend cricket for three weeks until we had a report from our health and safety advisors as to what mitigations could be taken."Chapman said the council would then consider these mitigations before deciding next steps.
Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
a few seconds ago
- Daily Mail
Lancashire blame fans for turning up late with thousands left queuing outside Old Trafford as England and India began the fourth Test
Lancashire have blamed fans for turning up late after thousands were left queuing as the fourth Test got under way in Manchester. Lines of people were snaking down Talbot Road and Brian Statham Way when play between England and India began at 11am, with ticket holders taking to social media to vent their frustration. 'If you're wondering why there's gaps in the stands at Emirates Old Trafford,' the Barmy Army posted on X, attaching a photograph of the well-populated streets. Lancashire responded with a statement, saying: 'We are aware that some supporters experienced queues getting into Emirates Old Trafford this morning, which we apologise for. 'We saw nearly 9,000 supporters arrive at the ground very late despite encouraging early arrival, with all bags subject to searches on entry. 'The club will be looking at increasing the number of gates for the rest of the Test match. 'We strongly encourage ticket buyers to only bring bags if required, and if doing so to arrive as early as possible. Gates will be open at 9am for the rest of the game.' The first four days of the penultimate game of the Rothesay Series are 21,500 sell-outs, but huge expanses of empty seats remained in the temporary stand into the afternoon session. 'It shouldn't be necessary to rock up three hours before the start of play. Absolutely shameful scenes at Old Trafford,' one supporter blasted. 'I turned up at Lord's around 10.30am on day one and was inside the ground literally within two minutes.' A social media user named PitchedOutsideLeg added: 'Arrived Old Trafford 09:45. Still way back in huge queue moving slower than a snail's pace. Have paid over £100 for ticket. Several breweries in and around Stretford and Salford nearby. Hopefully whoever has orchestrated this hasn't also organised drinks there later.'


The Independent
29 minutes ago
- The Independent
Dave Allen reveals Daniel Dubois mistake that cost him against Oleksandr Usyk
British heavyweight Dave Allen felt that confusion in Daniel Dubois ' corner cost the former IBF world champion in his second defeat by Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday night. Usyk regained his status as undisputed heavyweight king with a fifth-round stoppage of Dubois in front of a packed Wembley, with Allen watching on as a pundit for talkSPORT. Allen, who has sparred with both fighters, shared his thoughts on Dubois' father, Stan Dubois, getting involved in the fighter's corner to offer his thoughts during the bout. Speaking on talkSPORT in the aftermath of the fight, Allen said: 'Daniel was beat maybe a minute in. He got hit with three or four jabs, he was made to miss. 'At the end of round one, I believe Daniel's dad was shouting 'double jab, right hand' and taking over the corner. 'Don Charles is the trainer. That's Daniel's dad – they've got a great relationship, there's one coach. 'If I was with Jamie Moore for ten weeks and my old man came here and started giving me instructions, he'd be told where to go by me and Jamie!' Stan has been a huge driving force in his son's career, pushing the 27-year-old into boxing as a youngster after having a dream of Daniel becoming heavyweight champion of the world. Whilst Allen stated it was a good thing to have such a strong relationship with his father, he felt that Dubois senior was undermining Don Charles, Daniel's trainer. Dubois and Charles have worked together since 2023, a decision reportedly influenced by Stan. 'It's ridiculous,' Allen restarted. 'He's a great coach, Don Charles. Daniel Dubois' father should not be giving any instruction, he's not a boxing coach. 'Whatever relationship they've got, fantastic. He's not a boxing coach. It was a shambles, it went all wrong for Daniel.' On his YouTube channel, Allen stated that he was entering camp this week for his next fight. Allen's upcoming opponent is unknown, after plans to face Jamie TKV for the British heavyweight title fell through. It has been suggested by Allen's promoter Eddie Hearn that he is set to face a 'top-five' heavyweight contender. DAZN Matchroom, Queensberry, Golden Boy, Misfits, PFL, BKFC, GLORY and more. An Annual Saver subscription is a one-off cost of £119.99 / $224.99 (for 12 months access), that's just 64p / $1.21 per fight. There is also a Monthly Flex Pass option (cancel any time) at £24.99 / $29.99 per month. A subscription includes weekly magazine shows, comprehensive fight library, exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes documentaries, and podcasts and vodcasts.


The Independent
29 minutes ago
- The Independent
How Michelle Agyemang and Chloe Kelly exposed the big lie at the heart of football
At its best, sport delivers drama like nothing else. Unexpected twists, reversals of fortune, the upending of expectation: all of the playwright's principal weapons are on display on the cricket pitch, the rugby field or the athletics track. But the Lionesses seem to have embraced the dramatic with a gusto that few have matched before. Nothing comes easy for these English footballers. Everything is left to the last minute. For them, the straightforward is always to be spurned. And how we have embraced their approach. Eight million of us tuned in to ITV to watch them play Italy in the Euros semi-final last night. By the end, as Chloe Kelly once again delivered the coup de grace as she had three years ago when they won the tournament on home soil, the pundit Ian Wright was by no means alone in his vigorous celebratory cavort around the ITV studio: all eight million of us were leaping from our sofas as one, united in delighted relief. We all went doolally. But until that moment of nationwide release, how they toyed with our nerves, ratcheting up the tension at every turn. Up against a brave, resilient but far less talented Italian team, England's women first fell behind, then waited until the last possible moment to equalise through the substitute Michelle Agyemang, who had only been on the pitch for seven minutes. Even Kelly's winner was not exactly uncomplicated: having seen her penalty brilliantly saved by the Italy goalkeeper, she was obliged to snaffle the rebound. Her celebration, miming that we should all just calm down, there was no need to panic, she was in control, was a lovely summation of the Lionesses' way: they get there in the end. It is almost as if Serena Wiegman and her team need to embrace jeopardy before they can express themselves. For so much of this Euros tournament, they have been off kilter, playing well below their potential. They are the holders, after all. In the quarter final against Sweden, like Italy, another side with little of England's resources and financial backing, they had to turn things around after an abject start. Again, they needed Kelly and Agyemang to deliver a late rescue act from the bench. Even their one convincing win against Holland earlier in the tournament was the product of necessity: having lost their first group game to France, they had to win in order to avoid the ignominy of being the first holders ever to be ejected from the competition before the knockout rounds. Like their male counterparts in last summer's Euros, they may have stuttered and staggered along the way, drawing vituperative criticism for their tactics and the manager's selections, but they have made it to the final. As they have done so, they have once again refuted many of the wearisome misogynistic prejudices that have for so long stalked women's sport in this country. And still do in Italy, where news of their women's defeat in the semi-final is down at the bottom of the front page of La Gazzetta dello Sport 's website, well below updates on the Italian Fantasy Football League. Sure, they may not be as quick or strong as the blokes, but that comparison is a pointless irrelevance when the drama they embrace is as intense as this. Like every drama, this one is all the more compelling because of the characters involved. Take 19-year-old churchgoer Agyemang, who has only ever played four times for her club Arsenal, yet across just 103 minutes of time on the pitch for her country has now scored three times. That is the kind of record that makes Erling Haaland look goal-shy. Then there's Lucy Bronze, the titan of a defender who defied age and injury to smash home the decisive penalty in the shootout against Sweden. Or Hannah Hampton, the smiling goalkeeper who proved with her magnificent save in extra time against Italy, that she deserves to have usurped her predecessor, the stalwart Mary Earps. Maybe, after seeing her in action last night, Nike might feel it worth their while to market a Hampton replica shirt in the way they initially refused to do with Earps's piece of kit. The demand will, without question, be there. Every little girl watching her throw herself into action will want to pull on a Hampton jersey. And many a little boy too. And pay is still much lower than men. While The Football Association agreed a record bonus package with England's Lionesses worth up to £1.7m if they retain their European Championship title this summer, Gareth Southgate's squad would have shared a bonus pot of about £9.6m had they won the European Championship final against Spain last summer. In total, England's women receive roughly one-fifth to one-tenth of what the men earn – largely due to smaller prize pots, less commercial revenue, and historical underinvestment – lest we forget women's football was banned in England from 1921 to 1971 on FA pitches. But while this historical legacy has stunted institutional backing and funding, with rising fan support, this is changing. Because the Lionesses have become part of the national story. They may be paid less, but we are all invested, we are all committed and we are all behind them. What they have proven is that, against apparent assumption, the English are quite good at things. Though for the collective nerve, it might be as well if, on Sunday, when they play the final, they could simply score early and cut out all the concern. Just do it the easy way. With these women, however, you suspect that won't happen. These are, after all, queens of drama.