Howzat for two extra cricket nets

Two additional cricket practice nets will be installed at Buln Buln Recreation Reserve as the result of a $100,000 state government grant.

The upgrade will ensure cricket facilities at the reserve are up to the sporting code and meet the growing needs of an active local sporting community.

Baw Baw Shire secured $100,000 through the government’s Community Cricket Program – Community Facilities stream.

Buln Buln Cricket Club president Wilson Pollock said the upgrades would “reinvigorate our club and allow us to welcome new players and families to train in the facilities at home”.

The total project is estimated to cost $186,000, with council providing $86,000 through its current capital works program.

As part of the upgrades, two additional practice nets will be installed at the facility, doubling the training space on offer and providing an increased opportunity for participation in the sport.

“This sets up the Buln Buln Cricket Club for generations to come. I am absolutely rapt that I will get to watch this unfold as a proud president,” Mr Pollock said.

Mayor Michael Leaney said the existing cricket nets were outdated, run down and impact the ability to attract new, and particularly junior participation in the sport.

“These upgrades will not only improve the quality of the facility, they will support further inclusion for existing and future participants,” he said.

The project is one of several upgrades completed at the reserve in the past two years, including an upgrade to the change room pavilion and the installation of new 200 lux lighting and towers on the netball courts.

The practice nets will be upgraded in the 2022/23 financial year.