This is not cricket
Quentin Ferreira, an avid cricket enthusiast and member of the local cricket association, claimed Newcastle's cricket grounds have deteriorated to such an extent that they were virtually unplayable.
Is the sport of cricket dying in Newcastle?
Quentin Ferreira, an avid cricket enthusiast and member of the local cricket association, claimed Newcastle’s cricket grounds have deteriorated to such an extent that they were virtually unplayable.
“We are unfortunately looking at turning teams away at the moment,” he said.
The cricket pitches are worn out and uneven, while the nets are in need of repair. There were also no markings on the sports fields in town, showing where the cricket pitches were meant to be.
Disappointed about the poor state of Paradise and Arbor Park Sports grounds, Mr Ferreira said it was not from a lack of trying by cricket enthusiasts that the grounds had fallen into disrepair.
“It is a story of every year repeating itself. We have had several meetings with the municipality and promises were made for the last couple of years, yet there is no improvement.”
Not only were the cricket pitches in poor condition, but the entire sporting facility at the available sports grounds needed attention, he said.
“Our facilities were so good at one stage that we had teams from Northern Districts such as Durban coming to Newcastle to play. Now, they refuse to come here. If we want to play other teams we have to travel out of town. The toilet facilities are also in a poor condition and the lights are not working properly, which affect night games,” he said.
Cricket season is set to start in October, yet it seems the cricket fixtures will be disastrous.
“We have 10 interested teams, but if two teams play at Paradise and two others play at Arbor Park, what happens to the rest of the teams?” Mr Ferreira asked.
Mr Ferreira thought the biggest problems sports enthusiasts faced were twofold.
Firstly, groundskeepers at the Paradise and Arbor Park sports grounds apparently were not trained and the municipality was not taking responsibility for the grounds.
“It has been a losing battle, as we have had no commitment from the municipality and we are tired of begging. It is not our job to check the grounds to ensure they are maintained,” Mr Ferreira said downheartedly.
He said that the negative implications affected more than just matches.
“Where is the development for cricket players? I am not talking about the adults, but the youngsters, the rising stars.”
The municipality was contacted but no comment was forthcoming at the time of print.
“If our local municipality is not with us, who is?” Mr Ferreira asked.
