BUSSELTON’s Churchill Park marked the end of a 60-year A-grade cricket era, when its last remaining turf cricket wicket was dug up from the oval last week.
The turf wicket at Churchill Park will be replaced by a synthetic wicket and will be used for B-grade and C-grade senior cricket, as well as junior cricket.
From the start of the new season, which kicks off on October 15, A-grade cricket moves to the new Barnard Park sporting precinct on the Busselton beachfront.
Cricket has been played at Churchill Park for more than 120 years.
From the 1880s until 1946, the ground was simply known as the ‘Recreation Ground’.
In 1946 it was renamed Churchill Park, after a suggestion by the then Mayor of Busselton, B.K. Killerby, to honour the name of Britain’s famous war leader, Winston Churchill.
Two turf cricket wickets at Churchill Park were laid in 1956 and were the first turf wickets in the Busselton-Margaret River region.
The first turf wicket, which was located on the main oval inside the trotting track, was dug up nearly 10 years ago and replaced by a synthetic strip.
This year there are again 19 senior teams competing in the Busselton-Margaret River Cricket Association, which covers Busselton, Dunsborough, Cowaramup, Margaret River, Augusta and Nannup.
For more information about the seniors competition or to join, contact Allan Miller on 0488 919 125.
For juniors contact Karl Clively on 0439 810 008.
