The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Crescent chief Gibson over the moon as club find place to call home
Crescent Cricket Club are benefiting from making the move to Kemnay, according to president Dave Gibson.
This summer, the North East Grade One side found themselves a permanent home by moving out of Aberdeen to Bogbeth Park, the former ground of the now-dissolved Kemnay and Kintore Cricket Club.
Securing a home ground of their own rather than using the communal facilities in the Granite City isn’t the only major change at Crescent in recent times.
Last year, the club decided to put a team in the Strathmore and Perthshire Cricket Union (SPCU), which plays out of Guthrie Park in Brechin, and is currently top of SPCU Division One, the league below the North East Championship.
President Gibson has been involved with Crescent for more than 30 years.
Explaining how the move to Kemnay came about, the 65-year-old said: “The communal Grades cricket facilities aren’t great.
“Some of the wickets or grounds have been put in at places which aren’t very appropriate.
“Some of the facilities like at Sheddocksley and Inverdee don’t even have decent toilet facilities.
“So we were looking for something more suitable which could help develop the club.
“Nathan Thangaraj our captain and Alex Pereira our vice-captain looked at a number of options.
“We knew there was a cricket wicket in Kemnay which hadn’t been used for a few years.
“But we put it on the backburner because to get a cricket wicket back to a playable standard takes an awful lot of work that we weren’t able to do.
“However, in negotiation with Aberdeenshire Council, we managed to secure a grant to put in an artificial wicket. The grant also allowed us to buy mobile nets and a bowling machine.
“As well as having the use of the ground and pavilion, we’re also able to practise, which we do on a Thursday night.
“Before, we practised on an ad hoc basis. We’d sometimes go down to the beach and we ran a team in the midweek T20 league, which was also effectively used as practise.
“But there was only a limited amount we could do.
“We also have a junior programme which we’re starting to build up and the club is progressing on a number of fronts.
“Having one place as a base makes a difference.”
During Gibson’s time with Crescent, the club has played at various locations including Kaimhill, Duthie Park and the Links.
He believes facilities, or lack of, is an issue for Grades cricket with some of the grounds provided by Aberdeen City Council deficient when it comes to basic amenities.
Gibson, who also played in the Highland League for Nairn County, Fraserburgh, Caledonian, Peterhead and Buckie Thistle, said: “I think facilities are an issue.
“When you consider the weather we get and there are some places we play at where there’s nowhere even to shelter.
“I don’t want to be too negative, but there hasn’t always been an appreciation of what it takes to provide a reasonable facility for people to play cricket.
“There could be pavilions which work for both football and cricket, but they would cost money to build.
“At the moment, if you’re playing at Inverdee, for example, you have to go across to Goals if you need the toilet.
“You can’t really expect people to go behind the bushes – there should be reasonable toilet facilities.”