In the latest of this season’s Thursday features, Gary Heatly finds out about the exciting things going on at Dunfermline & Carnegie CC…
Current players and members of Dunfermline & Carnegie CC were joined by former players and members of the local community at McKane Park last Saturday as the club’s new scoreboard was unveiled.
The state-of-the-art scoreboard has been funded by donations which were collected in memory of club stalwart Tom Gibson who sadly passed away aged 72 late last year.
Gibson was a part of the McKane Park scene since the late-1960s when he joined the cricket section as a schoolboy and over half a century he was to serve the club as an excellent batter, occasional off-spin bowler, Captain and President.
Certainly, anyone who visited the ground in Dunfermline in recent years will have been greeted by Gibson and his devotion to the club was unmatched.
And it says something about the esteem in which he was held locally and further afield that donations for the scoreboard came in very quickly and from all around the globe.
“The donations that came in blew us away really,” said the Dunfermline & Carnegie President Martin Honeyford.
“Tom did so much for the club, so we knew he was well loved and well respected, but to have collected such amazing funds less than a year after his passing last November has been just brilliant.
“And it was fitting that our current Secretary, Tom’s wife Nancy, was one of the driving forces behind the project because she loves the club – and does lots of jobs for the club – just like he did.
“She is a tower of strength and although she has had a very tough time since he passed away it was great to see the pride on her face when the scoreboard was officially unveiled.”
On the day the Provost of Fife – and well-known football man – Jim Leishman was there to say a few words and although the weather did not play ball it was an excellent occasion.
And, in fact, it was just the latest in a number of excellent occasions for the club this summer.
Most of those have come on the pitch because both the first XI and second XI have earned promotion from their respective leagues.
The first XI have won 12 out of 12 completed matches in ESCA Division Three to top that league and they will be gracing Division Two next year while the second XI will be in Division Six in 2022 as they are going up from Division Seven alongside leaders Edinburgh South II.
Both Dunfermline sides are on the road this coming Saturday – to Hawick & Wilton and Clackmannan County II respectively – as the league season in the East comes to an end.
“It has been absolutely brilliant to get two teams out regularly this year and there has been a great mix of older players, younger players and players that are new to the club getting involved,” Honeyford said.
“Everyone has been playing their cricket with a smile on their face and that makes such a difference while the second team have really dug in during a lot of games to get them over the line.
“The youth section at the club is also growing really well just now thanks to the enthusiasm of Coach Stephen Rowley and the club is in a pretty good place going forward.
“We will not rest on our laurels though, soon after this coming weekend’s final matches we will start building towards next season, but not before a well-deserved celebration for everyone who has been a part of this great year!”
The new scoreboard being unveiled at McKane Park last Saturday is pictured by David Potter
If you or your club has a story for us, then please email jakeperrycricket@gmail.com and gary@gh-media.co.uk – they look forward to hearing from you!
