Cricketers are set to get a ground fit for a king
King George V Field – developed in the late Thirties by public funding and owned in part by every islander – has always struggled to make do. But as Rob Batiste explains, while new plans to bring it up to date with modern requirements are exciting and desired, there was a charm in its past...
King George V Field – developed in the late Thirties by public funding and owned in part by every islander – has always struggled to make do. But as Rob Batiste explains, while new plans to bring it up to date with modern requirements are exciting and desired, there was a charm in its past...
THE KGV cricketers of yesteryear, when a cricket wicket meant a stretch of ridged black bitumen and a scoreboard the size of a lounge door, will hardly believe the transformation.
But when, sometime in 2015 hopefully, the £3.5m regeneration of the King George V Field is completed, cricket and the Guernsey Cricket Board will be sitting on a sports ground that will give the summer game everything it needs and, finally, bring an end to 75 years of under-funded struggle.
Mark Latter, chief executive officer for the GCB, takes one look at the plans submitted to Environment by the Guernsey Sports Commission, and thinks to himself 'bring it on'.
Latter says the GCB is thankful for the Commission's vision and push to make the home of local cricket even better than it is.
'It certainly fits our image of a cricketing nation determined to make its way in the wider world of the game and through the various ICC tournaments,' said Latter.
