Northampton Saints will go into the new Northants Cricket League season having not played a friendly match – due to a delay in the installing of fencing to protect a new housing estate that has been built on the site of the old Cherry Orchard School.
Saints’ tight Birchfield Road East ground has always been book-ended at one end by the school building, and that never caused a problem in the past because the school was always closed at the weekends when games were played.
Yes, the odd window may have been smashed, and the odd ball lost on a roof, but there were never people around and no serious damage was ever done.
But the school was closed down several years ago before being demolished, and has now been replaced by a shiny new housing estate, meaning family homes are now in the firing line of a straight hit or a flying top edge over what is a short boundary.
That of course creates all sorts of problems and health and safety concerns, and Saints are having to erect a 60-foot high fence at the Cherry Orchard end of the ground to try and ensure the residents in the housing estate don’t suddenly find a shiny, red and very hard cricket ball crashing through their bedroom window, or landing in their back garden.
Work has been going on to put up the fence this week at the Saints’ ground ahead of their opening NCL Premier Division clash of the season against Burton Latimer on Saturday.
But to the frustration of skipper Chris Park it has been left to the last minute, and that has meant most of his players have been unable to spend time in the middle ahead of the campaign, which is not ideal.
“We haven’t managed a friendly because the fencing hasn’t been erected at the ground,” said Park.
“We need to protect the new housing estate, and 60-metre high fencing is going up this week, and until that is up we can’t take the risk of balls flying into the housing estate.
“We did manage to have a net session on Saturday, and everything was good.
“Two or three of the lads play minor counties cricket so they have got a couple of pre-season friendlies in, and I still expect the lads to hit the ground running because we have been netting since January.”
As well the lack of match practise ahead of the season, the late installation of the fencing has also had another effect – with the outfield suffering from the heavy machinery needed to get the netting in place.
“The outfield is going to be 10 yards smaller this year,” admitted Park.
“It was small enough already, but the diggers and dumper trucks have all created a bit of a mess and I wouldn’t like to be fielding at long-off, long-on, third man or fine leg this weekend.
“I am glad I am behind the stumps that’s for sure!”