Kinross CC

Be warned - Fantasy Bob is in rant mode  - again.

Fantasy Bob admires Kinross Cricket Club, a go ahead club on the lines of his own beloved club.  It has been rescued from near collapse by the efforts of a small group of enthusiasts led by Kirsteen Ross.  It was The Wisden Club of the Year in 2009 and has gone from strength to strength founded on a dynamic junior section.

The Club has been planning a new ground - although its present location in the grounds of Kinross house present a splendid backdrop.  A site on the edge of adjacent village Milnathort has been identified and a pavilion planned.  And that is where the wheels get loose, for FB now reads newspaper reports about how local residents have objected to the plans.  Apparently, they are concerned about bad behaviour; they are concerned about balls coming into gardens; the local Heritage Association is concerned about archaeological treasures being built over. 

Cricket at Kinross House

For goodness sake!  This is not a nuclear power station or a high security prison.  It is a community facility - which will be a focus for young people to learn and appreciate a game that unlike others still takes a pride in its code of honour.  It will secure a fresh green space in an area under supreme pressure from rapacious house builders. The only bad behaviour is likely to be the odd dodgy LBW decision.  Balls in gardens can be corrected by teaching the virtues of line and length.  FB is a great supporter of heritage and museums and all that.   Perhaps an investigation can be associated with the development and anything of real importance identified.   If archaeological treasures have not been dug up by now - the adjacent Burleigh Castle was abandoned after the Jacobite Test Series in the 18th Century -  then maybe they can stay buried another few hundred years.  It is not as if Scotland is short of this stuff.

So good luck Kinross - FB hopes you can persuade the NIMBYs to become SOCKs - Supporters of Cricket in Kinross.