Cricketers have been banned from a village pitch where the sport has been played for more than 200 years leaving locals “incredibly disappointed”.
The game was temporarily suspended at Dawson Memorial Field in Danbury, Essex, over the summer after a member of the public was hit in the leg by a ball on May 17.
But Danbury Parish Council has now said that “no adult hardball cricket” can be played there “for the foreseeable future”.
The council said it had sought “both legal and risk assessment advice”.
Three local cricket clubs – Danbury, Tuskers, and Oakland’s – all played from the field.
Danbury Cricket Club secretary Rory Carlton told the BBC: “I’m incredibly disappointed, although I have to say not surprised.
“The biggest loss is to the village of Danbury. It really takes something away, that soft benefit for residents.”
An online petition set up by Mr Carlton in June to oppose the council’s suspension of the game attracted more than 3,000 signatures.
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He wrote to the Change.org page: “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.”
Early records show cricket matches have been played in Danbury since 1799.
Phil Walker, editor-in-chief of the Wisden Cricket Monthly, described the council’s decision as “another story of English nimbyism”.
According to the BBC, he said: “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.”
Cricketers are no longer able to play at Dawson Memorial Field in Danbury, Essex
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Danbury Parish Council has disputed defining the move as a ban, saying “a solution to the longer-term resumption of cricket is being given further consideration” but that “significant issues” remain in place.
The council said: “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.”
Early records show cricket matches have been played in Danbury since 1799
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PAIt added: “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.”