A GRANT worth $8250 from the NSW Department for Sport and Recreation to assist with the cost of installing new synthetic cricket wickets at Cameron Park will not be immediately spent by Inverell Shire Council.
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Council general manager Paul Henry said the funds will be held back until the outcome of council’s funding application for a major upgrade of the Cameron Park facilities is known.
“The grant application was for some $750,000,” Mr Henry
“That will level off the playing surface, because at the moment it slopes from east to west. It will increase the size of the ovals to enable two full-sized cricket fields to be installed.”
Mr Henry said the upgrade will involve underground irrigation, planting of trees to soften the area, the upgrading of the cricket nets and improvements to the toilet block.
“We expect that that grant will be announced early in the New Year, so we won’t be doing any work on the wickets until we hear about the outcome of our application,” he said.
Mr Henry said the surface would certainly be improved and could eventually have as good a surface as Varley Oval.
“But it wouldn’t have the support facilities that Varley has,” he said.
“It would provide a much more useable area for junior and senior cricket.”
Mr Henry said Cameron Oval is the next sporting field in council’s ownership that is marked for an upgrade.
