By Russell Bennett
All sporting teams should be able to expect a level playing field. From there, they can launch.
The Cardinia Cricket Club has one of the most picturesque home grounds around. That’s not the problem. Their practice facilities are.
The Bulls’ nets have officially been ‘condemned’ since 2016, and – to put it simply – they’re dangerous to practice on.
Of the three nets that sit up against the boundary in the south-western pocket of E. Gunton Oval, only one can be used by the players with any real confidence.
And even that one has a distinct lean on the surface of the pitch.
The other two nets have a multitude of different problems, from poor netting, to holes in the fencing, to unstable bowling run-ups, to cracks or holes in the surface of the actual pitches.
All three have a lack of lighting, too, which effectively means bedlam on training nights for the senior and junior Bulls sides as coaches rush to get the players some much needed time with ball or bat in hand.
Cricket Victoria did a facilities check at Cardinia nearly four years ago, and the results – when it came to the nets – painted an incredibly damning picture.
It’s long been time for the Bulls to receive an upgrade to their practice facilities. Now – for a club that fields sides in two of the West Gippsland Cricket Association’s A Grade divisions – times are desperate.
Even the location of their current nets doesn’t meet current standards. They push so hard up against the ground’s playing surface that the bowlers run-ups are on the ground, itself.
The Bulls have a plan for new training facilities – one that would see a brand new net complex built on the opposite corner of the reserve, next to Ballarto Road.
But they’re desperately calling on financial help from wherever they can get it to help make their dream a reality.
With new training nets set to cost at least $60,000, the Bulls are searching for ways to raise at least half of that money – whether it be through local, State, or Federal government grants; or corporate sponsorship.
Current Bulls senior captain-coach Bradey Welsh explained to the Gazette that the new nets would be built on what was once the proposed site of a bowling green, on the north-east corner of the reserve.
“The rec reserve gave us the go-ahead to put the nets there, and we spoke to the council and they said that location is all good too – the problem’s been about getting the funding,” Welsh said recently, at the oval overlooking the dilapidated nets and rundown sight screen.
“We can only train fully in one of our existing nets, but we still use the others too – we have no real choice.
“But only the better batsmen can go in those, otherwise they’re not safe.
“I’m very wary of who’s in the nets and who’s bowling to them. I have to be.”
Welsh spoke about the Bulls being comfortably the biggest sporting club in the town. In many ways, the Cardinia Cricket Club is the heart of that small community.
“We’re a genuinely home-grown club, and our Premier side is made up of just 11 (player) points… but when we try to train in our own nets it’s a nightmare,” he said.
“You try and attract juniors here and get as many as you can, but then when they come and see the nets it’s just hard work.
“When you come here on a Thursday night we’ve got three junior sides running around trying to train, and then we’ve got to try and train as a senior group too.
“We’re here until 8:30 just training (without lights directly overlooking the nets).
“Still, we manage to be one of the strongest clubs in the competition. Our facilities are great, but we don’t have training facilities to match them.”
Welsh has played at Casey-South Melbourne, Pakenham, and Tooradin after initially leaving the Bulls as a 15-year-old.
But it wasn’t until he returned for the 2019/20 season that he realised just how dire the Bulls’ plight was when it came to their practice facilities.
The club has applied for a seemingly endless number of grants, from a seemingly endless number of sources, and has encountered knockbacks and frustrating red-tape at just about every turn.
If they want to take that next step as a club, and continue their proud history of on-field success, they need help.
Those who could help are urged to contact the club by emailing Cardinia@club.cricketvictoria.com.au, or searching for ‘Cardinia Cricket Club’ on Facebook and leaving a message.
