Ambitious plans for cricket club win council support

Cricket at Church Meadow, photo coutesy of Mark Lord

THAME Town Cricket Club has successfully taken the first steps towards an ambitious scheme to redevelop its clubhouse and facilities, with a commitment from Thame Town Council to fund the pre-planning work.

During a presentation to the town council on Tuesday (27/10), Cricket Club representatives Matt Swain, Angus Lachlan and Alastair Thomas explained their plans for a new club house to be shared by Thame Hockey, Netball and possibly other sports clubs, with extra parking facilities to be shared with the Barns Centre.

If Planning is approved, other funding towards the £825,000 estimated cost of the project, will be sought from South Oxfordshire District Council, Sport England, the English Cricket Board (ECB), local businesses and through Thame Cricket Club’s own fund-raising which has already started to the tune of £30,000.

The town council sees the cricket club development as part of its Sports Strategy that has emerged from the Thame Neighbourhood Plan, and most of the funding it will contribute will come out of Developer contributions known as Section 106 contributions, from the various future housing and other developments that are, and will be in the future, springing up around the town. Section 106 monies have been identified specifically for the Cricket Club pavilion of £12,816 from Site F and £14,770 from The Elms development.

If all goes goes to plan, the cricket club hopes to begin demolition of the existing facilities in September 2017, in preparation for building a brand new, modern facility in Church Meadow that should last this growing, Premier League club at least as long as the 40 plus years that the current barn conversion has served it.