Sticky wicket for WGCA

By RUSSELL BENNETT

THE ground that hosted last season’s West Gippsland Cricket Association Premier division grand final soon won’t be hosting any cricket at all.
The synthetic pitch on the main ground at Beaconsfield’s Holm Park Recreation Reserve will be ripped up in favour of more football being played on one of Cardinia Shire Council’s showpiece surfaces.
The move opens the door for the Richmond Football Club to strengthen its partnership with the council by increasing its training presence at Holm Park Road and potentially even playing pre-season games at the venue in the not too distant future. The AFL club has been limited in its usage of the Holm Park Road main ground, due to its permanent, concrete pitch.
Cardinia Shire Council’s team leader of recreation and facilities Heather Callahan said the removal of the pitch on the main Holm Park ground would “provide opportunities and pathway development for local football”, adding: “This change has been requested by a number of groups wanting access to football facilities during the summer”.
Ms Callahan said “all relevant stakeholders” had been involved in reaching the decision to remove the pitch, “including the sporting clubs directly involved, Cricket Victoria and AFL Victoria”.
She added that the Upper Beaconsfield Cricket Club and other clubs in the shire would not be affected “and therefore consultation was not required”.
The council has organised to meet with the WGCA early next year to discuss their future plans. But WGCA general manager Rob Hansen said the association wasn’t consulted about the decision, which he described as “very disappointing”.
“There is another ground at Holm Park that can be used… but it’s small – that’s the problem,” he said.
“This whole process begs the question of what is an effective use of facilities that you develop.
“My personal opinion – not necessarily that of the Cricket Association – is that if you’ve got a multi-million dollar facility, why lock it up potentially for six months of the year (to one sport)?
“From what I can gather, it sounds like the whole thing is a fait accompli.”
Ms Callahan said: “The Holm Park Recreation Reserve main oval will become one of many single-use sporting facilities across the shire, catering for baseball, athletics, equestrian and soccer (facility currently under construction).”
There will still be plenty of cricket played in grounds throughout Beaconsfield, with pitches on Perc Allison Oval, the St Francis Xavier school oval, O’Neil Road Reserve and the front oval at the Holm Park precinct.
There will soon be a turf wicket on Perc Allison Oval as the Beaconsfield Cricket Club makes the switch from the WGCA to the Dandenong and District Cricket Association (DDCA), providing the chance for local youngsters to aspire to play at a higher level without having to leave the area. The Cardinia Shire Council is contributing towards the cost of installing the turf, but with work expected to begin early in the new year, Beaconsfield Cricket Club will also have to find another venue to host matches this season. Hansen said there should be others available, including at Arena in Officer.