Bathurst cricketers' long awaited wish is coming to fruition, with the Sportsground set to be developed into the city's premier cricket facility.
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As part of $1.5 million funding project from Bathurst Regional Council, the NSW Government and Cricket NSW, the Sportsground will undergo a significant transformation in the coming months, the ground's first major renovation since its original construction over 100 years ago.
Bathurst District Cricket Association vice president Stephen Cain said the work is long overdue.
"It's going to be fantastic for Bathurst cricket, to have the chance to have a first class cricket oval in the city will make a great difference," he said.
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"We've been waiting a while for it to be done but it's finally happening, which is great for Bathurst cricket.
"It's a bit long overdue. We've struggled with this ground for quite some time. The drainage is going to be improved, the wicket will be improved too because it just holds water.
"The bicycle track will be gone, which is a safety thing. When cricketers are chasing a ball that is going towards the boundary, they won't have to worry about taking bark off when they hit the boundary.
"It's just a lot of little things that'll make things just a lot better."
The entire grass surface at the Sportsground will be removed and the soil profile will be reshaped, with appropriate drainage and turf field sand slit drainage systems to be installed to provide optimum plant health and all-weather field usability.
With the removal of the old cycling track, the perimeter of the oval will be increased, providing the required size necessary to host major regional and high level events.
The centre turf wicket will be reconstructed to provide quality surface, which will allow for increased usage by the local cricket association.
New cooch turf will be installed as well, which is suitable for the climatic conditions of Bathurst.
Cain is hoping that, when work is compete, the Sportsground will stack up with Wade Park in Orange as one of the premier cricket facilities in the Central West.
"Wade Park is a great facility and if we can get up to something like them, that be great," he said.
"We don't have the lights like them, but something we can work on."
Bathurst mayor Ian North confirmed that the project does not include the installation of better lighting, but said it's something council will work towards in the future.
"This field has been a big part of Bathurst for a long time," he said.
"Anyone that knows cricket, this is one of the fierce pitches we've ever had. It's been here for a long time and it needs an upgrade.
"We're going to have a brand new facility, that will be a state of the art field and that's what we need."
The venue has also been used by Bathurst Little Athletics but Cr North said athletics will be have to be held elsewhere going forward.
"I spoke to our director before and I asked about could the venue host another sport and I think it'll be a stand alone cricket venue," he said.
"There is a train of thought that we need to look at getting an athletics facility in town and moving forward there is a group that is bringing a proposal to council for a purposed-built athletic facility, but it hasn't hit yet."
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