The story behind our current facilities
The Old Pavillion
Some of the most significant changes and improvements came as the York & District Senior Cricket League raised their standards. For DCC to remain at the forefront of the league meant many of the facilities had to be upgraded or introduced.
From what we can determine, the original changing rooms and tearoom were on the site of the present scorebox and equipment shed.
A new clubhouse
From the original position, the facilities were moved to the area where the current football practice pitches are. At this stage the facility was shared with the Football club. The Sports Club building was constructed in 1971, but was much smaller than its current size. The changing rooms for Cricket & Football from this time still exist. Later extensions saw the Dunnington & Grimston room added including a new beer cellar and Bowls Pavillion, the two-stage addition of squash courts, then eventually the construction of the new changing rooms with function room above in 1997.
Scoreboard
The scoreboard has, like the pavillion developed over the years. The earliest records we can find relate to the scores being hung on nails hammered into a tree near the pavillion. In 1969 a new brick scorebox was built on the site of the current scorebox. Jeff Spofforth was responsible for the bricklaying and Dave Leeman, through Highlight engineering provided the large revolving number system. This lasted until 2008, when it was to make way for the latest version, a combined scorebox, electronic scoreboard and equipment shed, a facility any team in the league would be proud of. The Playing Field Association were able to construct this state-of-the-art building because of the kind donations of long time Dunnington cricket devotees Colin Graves and Colin Roberts.
Continual improvements
1990 saw the introduction of the metal sightscreens made by Britton’s under the supervision of Neil Wilson. These were delivered by low loader with a Police escort on a Sunday because of their size.
The cricket outfield was replaced in 1996 – pictures show only the square remaining before the new turf was laid during December of that year. Once again, this development was made possible through the backing of Colin Graves and the Costcutter organisation. Two more facilities improvement projects are in the pipeline. They are the creation of 2 artificial practise nets and an irrigation system for the square and outfield at Common Road end. It is also likely that at some point in the future the square will need to be expanded to create enough wickets to accommodate the recent growth in the playing membership. Work is ongoing with the PFA regarding the long-term strategy and planning for this project.