Uphill Castle Cricket Club is delighted to confirm that major renovation work is being carried out on both of our cricket squares, representing a significant investment in the playing facilities at the club.

The work has been made possible thanks to the support of an ECB grant, allowing the club to undertake extensive improvements that will benefit our players and teams for many seasons to come.

Major Improvements to Both Squares

With another busy cricket season coming to an end, work has begun on both the main ground square and our second square. Unlike the normal end-of-season renovations, this year’s programme involves much more substantial work designed to improve the levels, consistency and long-term quality of the playing surfaces.

A key part of the project involves removing the top layer of soil from areas of the squares. Over time, variations in levels can develop across cricket squares, so removing and reworking the surface will allow the pitches to be levelled and provide a much better base for future preparation.

Once the necessary levelling work has been completed, the squares will then be prepared and reseeded, allowing new grass growth to establish ahead of the winter. The renovation programme is scheduled to be completed by the second week of September, giving the new seed and renovated surfaces as much time as possible to establish before the colder winter months.

Nothing Going to Waste

An important part of the project is making the best possible use of the material removed during the renovation work. Rather than disposing of the waste soil taken from the cricket squares, it is being reused to level areas of the outfield on the main ground, helping to improve another important part of our playing facilities at the same time. This means the project will not only improve the quality and levels of our cricket squares but will also provide an opportunity to address uneven areas across the main outfield.

Investing in the Club’s future

The renovation work represents another important investment in the future of Uphill Castle Cricket Club. With a large number of senior, ladies and youth teams using our facilities throughout the summer, maintaining high-quality playing surfaces is a significant undertaking. The amount of cricket played at the club places considerable demands on both squares, making projects such as this increasingly important.

Once established, the renovated squares should provide a stronger and more consistent surface from which our ground team can prepare pitches throughout future seasons. The improvements to the main outfield will also complement the square renovation and help improve the overall playing environment at the ground.

Thank You to the ECB

Uphill Castle Cricket Club would like to place on record its thanks to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for the grant funding that has helped make this major project possible. Without this financial support, completing such extensive work across both squares would have represented a considerable challenge for the club.

We would also like to thank everyone involved in organising and carrying out the renovations, as well as those who continue to give their time throughout the year to maintain and improve our ground. There will inevitably be a period where the squares and areas of the outfield look very different while the work is taking place, but this is all part of creating better playing surfaces for the future.

With the work due to be completed by the second week of September, attention will then turn to giving the newly seeded areas the time and care required to establish over the autumn and winter. It is a major piece of work, but one that represents an exciting investment in the future of Uphill Castle Cricket Club and cricket at The Castle.