The Revelstoke Cricket Club is one step closer to constructing a pitch to call home.
The club’s growth has matched Revelstoke’s continued and diversifying growth.
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“We’ve grown from a couple of guys just getting together and practicing on a patch of dirt on Third Street to being on this journey to really take it forward into building a fully functional club that’s able to provide playing opportunities to the cricketers in town, play other teams and host other teams,” said the club’s organizer, Matt Bramall.
After receiving a $5,000 Revelstoke Community Giving grant and permission from the city, the club is moving forward to construct the pitch in Centennial Park, with concrete expected to be poured by the end of the week. The grant will cover the cost of materials and construction.
Bramall explained it’s important for cricketers to have a correctly sized (oval-shaped) pitch to safely play the sport.
“It’s not like any sort of field that (most) Canadians are used to…it’s bigger than a diamond field, more oval-shaped, it’s played all over and a lot of the action is played in the centre on a 22-yard strip,” said Bramall.
Although the playing surface is usually curated grass, Bramall said it was a more practical choice to go with an artificial surface. The construction will include a 22-yard concrete strip with synthetic matting on top.
Besides not having the proper sized pitch, the previous location where the club practiced, on Third Street, wasn’t an ideal location for any sporting activities.
Bramall said the uneven grounds and holes in the netting caused them to lose many balls while the presence of animal feces made the field less than ideal.
“With us moving to Centennial Park, we have a designated facility that allows us to play cricket with the correct dimensions, allows us to use the hardball with consistent bounce which we would never get playing on the (Third Street) field, allows us to have structured practices for games, and presents us the opportunity to host beginner classes,” said Bramall.
The completion of the pitch will help the club further grow as they will be able to host regular training sessions and regular games, and host what Bramall called “friendlies.”
He also sees a summer of “friendlies” at the Centennial Park location as a possible tourist attraction with the social nature of the sport.
“It’s a wonderful spectator sport, very laid back,” said Bramall.
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