Battle to try and save 168-year-old Dunnikier Cricket Club


Club secretary Saqlain Haider told the Fife Free Press that Dunnikier CC is now struggling for its very survival, amidst a dwindling player roster featuring not a single white caucasian male, no youth set-up, ongoing vandalism at its Dunnikier Park ground and the absence of any active club social media account.
Haider, 26, a Kirkcaldy-based solicitor who lives in Buckhaven, said: "I personally worry that this club could go out of existence soon. I’ve been here since I was 14 years old and it means so much to me so it’s very concerning.
"This club has essentially given me a place of belonging.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad

"In the job I’m in, my employer always said that they hired me simply because of the role I play within Dunnikier Cricket Club. So I even owe my career to the club.
"But 70% of our first team is now over 40 years old and our club predominantly has players of Pakistani origin with a few Indians or Afghans, so the entire club is based with people from the south east Asian community.
"We used to have a lot of caucasion guys of Scottish origin that played. But I think the enjoyment for them was not there, they were not able to mix really well with the club to stay a part of it for such a long time.
"The last time we had a Scottish caucasion player was in 2019.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad

"The difficulty we have is that we just don’t have anyone around Kirkcaldy who is bringing their kids.
"You hear parents saying they are taking their kids to football training but cricket is just non existent nowadays and people just don’t appreciate the sport as much as they used to.
"I think that's very sad and disappointing.
"The club has been struggling so much that it has been registered as a charity as opposed to a privately funded club.


“We had to do this at the start of 2023 because of the lack of funding that was available for private clubs.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad"A lot of the members are personally funding the club just to keep it going, simply because we can’t get any grants sorted out.
"Every year we have a major issue with vandalism, with dirt bikes going over the ground and just ripping up the pitches that are prepared for Saturday games.
"Just this year it’s cost us over £1,000 to have the repairs done on it.
"Two years ago we had storage boxes broken into and we had to repair almost everything. The doors were smashed, there were bottles of alcohol smashed all over the changing rooms.
"We reported it to the police but nothing came out of it.”
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdEmphasising how “saddening” the vandalism is, Haider also outlined his ambitions for the club.
He added: “I want to build a pavilion and get the rights for the ground from Fife Council so that we can essentially take care of the ground ourselves.
"The current facilities are essentially two containers with changing rooms.
"The previous pavilion that was there was destroyed and whoever managed the club decided the best thing would be to put two containers down, which takes the beauty away.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad"You have a massive park which is kept very well by Fife Council. But then you have two or three containers sitting in the middle and it’s just not a nice look.
"Ideally, all members have said that we need a proper clubhouse and a proper place to store our facilities.
"Members would happily fund the purchase of our equipment but we would have nowhere to store it because we don’t have the facilities.”
Despite their obvious problems in recent times, Dunnikier CC firsts have finished runners-up in the Fife T20 Cup in each of the past three years.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdDunnikier’s first 11 squad ended the 2024 campaign in eighth place in the 50 overs a match East of Scotland Cricket Association Championship, winning five, drawing one and losing eight of their 14 matches.
And the club’s second 11 – captained last season by all rounder Haider – ended third in the 40 overs a match ESCA Division 6, having recorded 12 wins and three losses in their 15 outings.
"Our first 11 had quite a rough season in 2024 after losing quite a few players to different clubs,” said Haider. “We have lost three key bowlers and two key batsmen over the past two seasons.
"And it was difficult to fill those positions because Kirkcaldy isn’t a great area for cricket essentially. With the history of our club, the lack of cricket in Kirkcaldy now is concerning.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad"We were kind of unprepared to participate, so the first team put up a massive performance in managing to survive in the division because they were on the verge of being relegated.
"It was certainly impressive. One of the game changing moments was at Linlithgow (on July 27) when the opposition only required two runs to win with a few balls to go.
"But our captain (Mohammed Sharif) came on to bowl and took two wickets, giving one run away so the match ended in a draw which was quite crucial in giving us enough points to avoid relegation.
"In the past we have had Safyaan Sharif – a current Scotland international senior bowler who started his cricket journey here – and players from Australia and South Africa who have come over and played.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad"But the difficulty remains that we can never keep a hold of these players as the lack of cricket around Kirkcaldy is not favourable to us.
"Going a few years back I was playing for the first 11 quite regularly. But I had to give up my aspirations to play for the first 11 just to keep the club going and also look after the second 11 because being a captain in itself is a major responsibility.
"These days I receive a lot of support from first team captain and senior committee member Mohammed Sharif, along with the other committee members.
"I deal with the finances, I deal with a lot of the secretarial stuff along with ensuring that everything has been arranged, but it’s truly a team effort. I can’t sit here and take all the credit.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad"I do as much as I can. With me being a solicitor I know the ins and outs of a lot of things, being able to deal with things quite quickly.”
On his ambitions for the two Dunnikier CC teams next season – which will start from April 2025 – Haider said: “I think the aim for the first team is to hopefully finish somewhere in the top half with some prospect of hiring some players.
"And we are definitely hopeful of winning the Fife T20 Cup final next year.
"For the second 11 we are just looking for promotions and starting to generate players who can move up to our first 11 so it will be a home bred team essentially.”
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdHaider finished by urging anyone who might be able to help the closure-threatened club – by way of playing or assisting with the digital and administrative side – to contact him as soon as possible.
“We are always striving hard to get players,” Haider said. “Finding somebody who will be the key to success, but that is difficult.
“So we would be delighted to hear from any players who wish to join us. There is a major opportunity for everybody to learn about each other’s cultures and the way they live their lives.
"Cricket is a great sport once you get into it. It’s very demanding, you need great hand/eye co-ordination and a lot of strength and stamina.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad"It might seem a bit slow compared to football and rugby, but once you’re in the middle of it and there’s a ball travelling at you at 60 or 70 miles an hour with the prospect of giving you a bruise, you are always feeling that adrenaline rush.
"Prior to the start of the season we train indoors at Cluny Activities, which is probably one of the only facilities available in Kirkcaldy.
"We do that during the winter – usually on a Saturday - and then when the season has started it’s a mix of outdoor and indoor training on a Thursday from 5 to 8pm.”
Every year, Dunnikier CC has a prize presentation evening with trophies presented which are funded by committee members. Among the awards handed over are for Player of the Year, Top Scorer and Top Wicket Taker for the first and second teams.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdTo get in touch with Haider to offer support or if you would like to play, please email him at [email protected]
Haider’s dedication to Dunnikier CC would seem to make him an ideal candidate to receive votes for a prize at next spring’s Kirkcaldy and Central Fife Sports Council Awards, being held at Fife College’s St Brycedale Campus in Kirkcaldy on March 13, 2025.
The awards will include categories for juniors, youths and seniors - teams and individuals - as well as sections for disabled sport and coaches, plus an unsung hero award to recognise the time, commitment and knowledge so many individuals put in to giving so many a chance to pursue their sporting dreams. Nominations can be made at www.kcfsportscouncil.co.uk/annual-awards/ - the closing date is January 12.
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.