Cricket is on its way back to Whittington after seven years

Whittington’s cricket side withdrew from the Shropshire League structure at the end of the 2016 season, bringing an end to a proud history which dated back to the 1850s.

Whittington Bowling Club continued to play at the venue and use the clubhouse, but the cricket pitches and outfield became over grown.

Now Cricket Shropshire has teamed up with members of Whittington Cricket & Bowls Club to resurrect the venue as a cricket ground and create a Shropshire Women & Girls’ Hub at the site. The new facilities will be officially unveiled at a special event on Friday.

Cricket Shropshire lead officer Steve Reese said: “This idea dates back to June 2021 when the former playing area had knee high grass, a number of portable floodlights and was ready to receive its next herd of sheep. Whittington is a club which dates back to 1858, but cricket had not been played on site since September 2016 and the it only kept going as venue thanks to the hard work and dedication of the bowling club and its volunteers.

“The north west of the county had been identified in a recent Shropshire Council playing pitch strategy as an area with considerable playing constraints around capacity, and most particularly in the rapidly-growing women and girls game.

“There were minimal outdoor practice facilities in the area as well as match play. Following discussions with the club and board, it was agreed to embark on bringing the site back to life to act as a hub for women and girls activity, which would include training and matches for the Shropshire Girls’ county age group sides.

“The plan began with a grass cutting programme for the site, then to getting activity back on site in the form of some schools competitions, with the local school using it every week for some of their summer activities.

“The ECB initiatives to get youngsters involved in cricket – All Stars and Dynamos – began in the spring of 2022 and brought in lots of enthusiastic local families. Our women & girls’ officer Katie Rushton delivered a women’s soft ball taster session which has resulted in the formation of Whittington Witches, who have been active in outdoor and indoor matches and have received coaching during the winter from their new club coaches.

“The infrastructure is in place now, thanks to the hard work of Nigel Davies to establish a community club.  The parish council have also been very supportive in providing grants for disabled toilet facilities.

“Off the back of all this work in 2022 and the results, the club was successful in bidding for a significant grant from ECB which has seen the construction of a three-lane enclosed practice net, sight screens, pitch covers, a new non-turf pitch, pitch roller and storage container plus a facelift to the tired scoreboard.”

To celebrate the enhancement to the site, former England international Laura MacLeod who is director of women’s cricket for Central Sparks will be unveiling a plaque to mark the investment and the new life being breathed into the ground on April 14.

Reese added: “The ancillary facilities at Whittington are superb and a credit to the bowls committee.

“It is just reward for their dedication to keep the site operational that now the local community and surrounding cricket clubs can benefit from this investment in the outdoor space for this site.”

The official opening will come at the end of a three-day programme where Cricket Shropshire’s county girls’ winter programme culminates, with under-11s training today, under-13s tomorrow and under-15s and under-18s on Friday.

Local clubs and individuals are able to book the net facility or hire of the ground and pavilion by contacting the club directly. Contact Nigel Davies on nigeld1962@icloud.com or 07974 228575.