Cricket fields remain out of bounds
Donovan Capes, a cricket enthusiast, said it was imperative for the municipality to fix the grounds to enable teams to continue playing. “I have been playing for Phoenix for the past five years, and the state of the grounds is ridiculous,”
Cricket is known as a gentleman’s sport, but there is nothing refined about the poor condition of the cricket grounds in Newcastle.
In an article in the Newcastle Sun on September 2, readers were made aware of the state of the grounds.
Despite a written media enquiry and several phone calls to the municipality, no response was forthcoming.
Donovan Capes, a cricket enthusiast, said it was imperative for the municipality to fix the grounds to enable teams to continue playing.
“I have been playing for Phoenix for the past five years, and the state of the grounds is ridiculous,” he said.
He said the grounds were not maintained, and practice pitches were in a deplorable state.
“A few years ago, my brother and I actually went to the municipality and said we would lay the greens at the practice pitches for free, but we just needed the materials.”
This offer was apparently taken up only once. Since then, the municipality has allegedly failed to maintain the grounds.
“We will gladly organise the labour to repair the grounds and I have told the municipality this, but it has not come back to us,” Mr Capes said.
Phoenix is practising at a school.
“We have facilities, but nothing from the municipality.”
Mr Capes said the nine interested teams that wish to participate in the cricket season starting in October, faced challenges.
“The Sutherland Grounds were taken away and have been marked for soccer. The Paradise Grounds are in a poor state. The only place to actually play is in Arbor Park.”
The Arbor Park Sports Grounds are a far cry from being top notch, but at least there are proper ablution blocks.
“The only thing the municipality has done for us, was to put the lights on for our night games at no cost.”
Mr Capes was convinced the local cricket association could maintain the grounds efficiently if the municipality would agree.
“However, we cannot do it on our own.We need the municipality to do its part and lay out the necessary infrastructure. If they can get someone from the cricket union, get sponsors and fix up the grounds, then allocate the grounds to a group of people to be responsible for it, it might go better.”
He said local teams suffered due to a lack of infrastructure, and it hampered development.
“We used to have development teams, but that dwindled.”
“I recently played at the Dundee Grounds and you can’t compare it to ours. Their grounds are amazing. They have stands, pitches, score boards, everything,” he concluded.
