Players at a North Yorkshire community cricket club are getting a clearer view of their future thanks to support from the community fund operated by property, energy and mining firm the Banks Group.
Eggborough Power Station Cricket Club is preparing to move to a new ground next season after its original ground, which sat in the shadow of the power station’s cooling towers, became part of the regeneration of the overall site.
Work on the square and outfield at the club’s new Hazel Old Lane ground has been completed, with the construction of the new pavilion expected to start in the near future and scheduled to be completed to allow the club to start playing matches at its new home in 2025.
As part of preparations for the move, the club has been looking for ways to bring in two new sightscreens, which would replace its existing sightscreens that are reaching the end of their useful life.
And now, a £2,000 grant from the Banks Community Fund has enabled the club to make the purchase.
Originally set up in the 1960s as part of the facilities provided by the power station for its employees, Eggborough Power Station Cricket Club retains strong links to the local community, with different generations of several local families still playing and watching alongside each other.
The club has continued to fulfil fixtures in the Pontefract & District Cricket League and Snaith & District Evening Cricket League while being without its own ground, and is currently on its third season of playing home games at Hirst Courtney Cricket Club, ten miles away from Eggborough.
Plans are in place to establish the club’s first women’s senior team at the new ground, as well as to extend the provision of junior cricket, while its annual memorial day event, which brings more than 150 village residents together every year, is set to be re-established next year.
Lee Dowson, secretary at Eggborough Power Station Cricket Club, says: “Being without our own ground has sometimes made the last few years a bit of a struggle, but we’re now close to be able to move into a fantastic new home with state-of-the-art facilities and really excited for everything this will enable us to do.
“It’ll be particularly good for our junior section, which was thriving before we had to move and which has understandably seen numbers fall a little since then, and we’re confident that our new home will help us bring in even more boys and girls of all ages than ever before to give cricket a go.
“Interest in the women’s game has really taken off over the last few years and we’re looking forward to seeing our first ever women’s team taking the field.
“Having new sightscreens will make a big difference to the enjoyment that all our players get from the matches they play, so we’re very grateful to Banks for helping us add this welcome finishing touch to the new ground.”
Jamilah Hassan, community relations manager at the Banks Group, adds: “Its enduring family links and community commitment make Eggborough Power Station Cricket Club a real asset to the local area.
“We’re very pleased to be helping the club make the facilities at its new ground even better and wish them every future success, both on and off the pitch.”
The Banks Community Fund provides grants for community groups and voluntary organisations in the vicinity of Banks Group projects.
Anyone from a community close to a Banks Group development who is interested in applying for funding from the Banks Community Fund should first contact the fund manager on 0191 378 6342 or via fundmanager@bankscommunityfund.org.uk before applying for a grant to check if their group or project is eligible.