CRICKET
We’re not all so stuck in the mud to think that we can’t dig up a bit of The Victory Ground and put a 3G pitch in, very much even my hardened
”
volunteers who lived on the ground and were born here see it as the right thing to do
that they’ve played on, even though they want to keep training on it all week, because we need to get water on it to be able to re- use it later on in the season. This new method of preparing the wicket will mean there will be more grass left on it and makes it easier for us to get the wickets back to re- use, so that’s just a little thing that we’ve tried.” “We’ve also made the training wickets slightly narrower, and that has saved us a bit of time because we can roll them easier. Obviously, we can’t do that when they are playing, but it’s quite interesting to see how things change when you try something else. We always have to look at ways we can save money or use what we have better, and I think that really is the key. We use the rotary mower to cut the outfield on the second pitch, and there was a big resistance when it was first suggested a few years ago because we always used a cylinder mower. But we gave it a try, and it’s been great because it’s been much quicker and the quality of the result is good. So that’s saved time by using more modern technology.” “It’s working around things and trying to find constructive solutions to the problems youve got without saying I need more money. We all need more money, but is there a workaround and will it compromise the quality, and that's the issue. But so far with the help and budgets that we get and the support we have from the voluntary workers we’re sort of there.”
Finding a balance that suits everyone has been a process, and one that Mark, along with the CIC, has been able to find. There is longevity in their thinking and an appetite to ensure that, in the year 2120, those in charge speak fondly of how the site progressed. One way of ensuring that is by diversifying the site for additional income. Though not a big town, the demand for sport in Bury is large and other clubs, such as Bury St. Edmunds Rugby Club, operate floodlit midweek football leagues. Although the history of The Vic is built on cricket, it is somewhat ironic that its future
88 PC August/September 2020
may be supported by football. Through Sporting 87 there is a plan to construct a floodlit 3G pitch that can be used for training and rented out to local schools and clubs. There have been countless examples of football clubs sharing space with cricket clubs and eventually edging them out of the site but, as with everything else here, it’s the combination of clubs that makes the operation work.
“The Victory Ground has always been associated with cricket, and nothing will change there,” Mark said. “But, from a financial point of view, in many ways football may turn out to be a significant part of the future. A lot of cricket grounds have found that to their cost in that football has taken over, and cricket has been put in a corner or disappeared completely. We are very keen that shouldn’t happen here, and I’m sure it won’t, but the income that a 3G pitch can generate is something we cannot ignore.” “We’re not all so stuck in the mud to think that we can’t dig up a bit of The Victory Ground and put a 3G pitch in, very much even my hardened volunteers who lived on the ground and were born here see it as the right thing to do. I thought there would be quite a bit of resistance, but everyone sees it as a good thing. You’ve got to move with the times and, to preserve what they like about the top of the ground, you maybe have to give a little bit at the bottom.”
“The different stakeholders have worked together and played together for years now, and I think that has helped them not feel threatened by each other, and they see the way it’s going and see how expensive and difficult it is. So, they understand that a floodlit 3G pitch is a potential solution to the problem. It’s looking to the future, and for us as well it is about trying to bring everyone together. There are a lot of partisan issues, but the future of the ground has got to be a collective thing.” “We have to be more together, and there needs to be a better synergy, we’ve all got to respect each others’ positions and support each other and, from a ground point of view, that’s what we try to do. You can’t live on memories, we need to create new memories that resonate with people today, and I think there is definitely an enthusiasm to do that.”
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