Banbury Cricket Club

Requirement

It took six fire engines to battle the blaze that left the Banbury Cricket Club’s pavilion, in the words of Club Fixtures Secretary, Geoff Hawkins, “totally gutted”. The building, which houses the club’s 3rd and 4th teams, was unoccupied when it was struck by the lightning that caused the fire. While the 11 year old building was rendered totally unusable and a lot of historical club memorabilia was lost, there was no damage to the playing surface and, most importantly, no injuries.

Without the pavilion, hosting matches would be almost impossible, so replacing it was a top priority. The Club approached the Wernick Hire Depot in Banbury for interim facilities so matches could continue. Wernick Hire staff liaised with the Club when designing the layout of the buildings to ensure it met their exact requirements.

Thanks to the resilience and quick reactions of the Club, they have not had to cancel a single match since the incident. Brian Griffiths, Club Chairman and Trustee, commented “The temporary accommodation has enabled us to fulfil all our cricketing fixtures to date. The process of organising it was easy and quick, and timescales were met with the necessary urgency.”

Brian wasn’t the only one happy with the units; he told us they have received many favourable comments about their quality from visiting teams. One unit houses changing rooms for two teams as well as showers, while the other served as a canteen with a separate room for umpires to change in.

Plans are already being drawn up for the new pavilion, which will be built in the same footprint as the old one, and will hopefully be finished in time for the start of the new season. Once complete, Banbury Cricket Club can be confident that they know where to turn if lightning strikes twice.