Olicanian Cricket Club trustee humbled by local response to pavilion fire

The Yorkshire club were allegedly the victim of an arson attack in the early hours of Sunday morning, but Mark Dexter has been overwhelmed by the response of the local community to the disaster

A trustee of Olicanian Cricket Club has thanked locals for their "humbling” response to the fire that destroyed their wooden pavilion in Ilkley on Sunday morning.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed on Monday that they believe that arson was the cause of the fire in the pavilion, which was also the site of a pre-school nursery for 35 children.

However, trustee Mark Dexter has been overwhelmed by the support that the club, who once had this summer's England U19 captain George Hill and Yorkshire's Harry Brook on their books, has received since the destruction of their "homely" pavilion.

"Everyone had woken up on Sunday morning looking forward to a potentially thrilling day of Test cricket at Headingley 15 miles down the road, and all that excitement was just snuffed out within an instant when news spread around club members that the pavilion had been torched," Mr Dexter told The Cricketer.

"We were an innocuous, humble little club 30 years ago, but now we have a situation where we are starting to have a hand in producing players who are making it through to the professional game, which makes it all the more galling that this should have happened at this time.

"I am not going to say anything more about the perpetrators who have done this because subsequently it has been an extraordinary experience, and in many ways a positive one.

"The outpouring of emotional support from people, particularly locally, and offers of practical support has been humbling. It has been quite inspiring.

^{Flames from the pavilion were seen by local residents shortly after 3am on Sunday}

"Yes, it was a huge shock initially but when you get such an outpouring of sympathy and offers of practical help from so many people around the area, it just gives you a bit of a warm glow and a lump in the throat.

"You realise that while you think of yourselves as just a little cricket club, we realise now that we are part of a thriving community and for the small minority of people who do things like torching pavilions, they are vastly outnumbered by the number of decent people that there are out there."

Mr Dexter also confirmed that charred bails found in the rubble by a fire officer will be turned into a trophy for their own version of the historic battle between England and Australia called the 'Ollie’s Ashes', with the hope that they will be able to face a side comprised of Australian overseas players playing in local leagues when the new pavilion is complete.

However, the club's current first XI, who compete in division two of the Airedale & Wharfedale Senior, have more pressing concerns as they currently sit third in the table and if results go their way in the last three league games they could gain promotion to the top flight of the league for the first time in their 97-year history.

It is that chance of promotion that Mr Dexter will hope will put a few smiles back on people's faces.

"It is a major event for something that has happened in Ilkley.

^{The fire destroyed a lot of the club's memorabilia} 

"There is a lot of shock and a lot of anger from people around the town, but at the same time we have been inundated with offers of help both practical and emotional.

"I think there will be a lot of warm sentiments towards us if we can achieve that [promotion]. At this moment in time it is difficult to know whether it will inspire us or whether we are going to be back on our heels.

"If I was a betting man, when that game is taking place tomorrow, and the ashes of the pavilion are in one corner of the ground, I think our guys will have a cool determination to try and make a point that we can go up.

"Even if we do not go up, the fact that the game is taking place is a signal to people out there that we have a determination that this club will go on and we will continue to be a part of the local community."

To donate to the rebuilding of Olicanian Cricket Club's pavilion, click here