Walkden Cricket Club will see their ground improved thanks to a £1m makeover which has taken 14 years to plan.
The club will see its ground flattened to avoid sloping, a new three lane net facility, an extended viewing balcony, a new equipment store ands catering facilities.
The project is expected to take 12 months to complete.
Frank Hinks, President of Walkden Cricket Club, said: “They’re flattening the ground so it won’t slope down. They’re putting a new fence up all round the ground, building additional changing rooms. They’re tarmacking the carpark and putting up posh fences at the fence and putting a new scorebox up.”
The redevelopment has been in the pipe line for 15 years says Mr Hinks who blamed the delay on “bureaucracy” and a council who were “dragging their feet.”
He added: “We just kept onto them and eventually won.”
Among the new additions are more accessible toilet facilities which Mr Hinks said will allow cricket fans with disabilities, health conditions or impairments to “watch and play as well.”
The entire facelift for the club will cost £1 million which will come from Salford City Council in tandem with a neighbouring housing development.
Mr Hinks said: “They’re [the council] doing a housing development and we’re getting the funding from there.”
Mr Hinks downplayed the influence of this redevelopment on players’ confidence going into the newly formed North West Cricket League as he said: “When it was the Bolton league, Walkden won more than any other club in the league. They expect to be good in the northwest league.”
Mr Hinks summarised the overall redevelopment and said: “They’re just modernising things. It should attract people.”
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