Beacon CC reaping rewards from ‘impressive’ net refurbishment
Beacon Cricket Club are already reaping the benefits of fabulous facilities after their net complex was completely refurbished thanks to a community grant.
The club, who play in the South Staffordshire County League, received just under £50,000 from the Enovert Community Trust, leaving them with an ‘impressive’ start-of-the-art net complex to practice in.
The previous facility, which had been in place for 12 years, had fallen into a state of disrepair - becoming too dangerous to use.
Beacon began working on the grant application for the refurbishments in July 2024, having already received some funds 12 months prior for work on the changing rooms.
Once the grant had been awarded, work got under way to refurbish all four net lanes and reconstruct the base.
Now complete, the club will be able to give primary and secondary school children first-time access to cricket, and it has already led to an increased county pathway presence.
Alan Green, who is the vice chairman, said these facilities will help them continue to grow, with membership already up since the refurbishment.
He said: “It is massive, what it opens up for us. We have already welcomed Warwickshire pathways, and we will be welcoming schools and all sorts of things.
“We have the availability there for all sorts of uses.
“We have already seen an upturn in the membership as people are going ‘Wow, look at this.’
“They are telling friends, so it has already had an impact on the girls and ladies section too.
“It all bodes well really.
“We have made a lot of progress in the last three years improving our facilities, redoing changing rooms and the clubhouse.
“Our evolution is from within. By improving our youth section’s facilities to develop the section, which will in turn help senior cricket in the future is what we try to do.”
The nets were opened by former Beacon cricketer Hannah Baker, who plays for Warwickshire and the Birmingham Phoenix. Baker grew up playing at Beacon as a youngster where she started at the age of five.
The club hopes the nets will encourage the next generation of cricketers, and the facility itself is pretty spectacular.
“They are pretty impressive,” Green continued. “They have the full impact padding all the way through.
“All the run-ups and everything. They are all individual nets that hang from the frame rather than going all the way over the top.
“It is all gated on the end, which makes the safety zone bigger, but it also helps to keep the pests out.”
The work off the pitch to improve their facilities follows success on the pitch for the club after they were crowned National Vitality Club T20 Plate Champions back in 2022.
