Bramhall Cricket Club, based on Church Lane in Woodford, received £1000 from our community fund, tied to Woodford Garden Village, that has gone towards the repairs and maintenance of the ground drainage system to enable more cricket to be played in times of inclement weather.
Phil Duffy, treasurer and groundsman at the club, said that the ground is in an area of a high-water table and full of east Cheshire clay so water retention is always an issue: “The project is to install additional drainage inspection chambers so we can clear the silt at various points around the ground. Up to now, we’ve been able to complete part of the project with the rest to be completed after the season finishes in September.”
The Club, that has 10 junior teams ranging from u7’s to u19’s, will now be able to offer more cricket matches during the season now that the drainage system is being fixed as the the pitches won’t remain waterlogged. At the moment, after heavy rain it takes a number of days for the water to drain away and games cannot be played during this time, even if the weather is dry.
During the initial lockdown period the cricket ground became a safe place for people to walk around and get their daily exercise. The Fred Perry Way goes across the ground. Subsequently when cricket started again, the club found that more people would come to watch because of the safe environment it offered so people could be outdoors and socially distance themselves around the ground.
Simon Bennett, interim sales director for the North West said: “Local sports clubs such as Bramhall Cricket Club, are a huge part of local communities and they were all hugely missed when we were placed into lockdown. The fact that Bramhall Cricket Club will now be able to play throughout the cricket season, whatever the weather, will be a huge benefit to the players and community.”
Through our community fund, we have shared £10,000 between eight local groups.
To find out more about the three and four-bedroom homes currently available at Woodford Garden Village visit Anson Meadows or find more information on the two-bedroom luxury apartments at The Courtyard.
