Practice makes perfect!

Royton CC Opening of new nets. (l-r) front - Maureen Lewis wife of Trevor Lewis who the nest are named after and Captain Denny Hulme

ROYTON Cricket Club have unveiled a superb new practice area at their Paddock ground.

Named the Trevor Lewis Training Facility in memory of the club stalwart who died last year, the enclosed synthetic surface has four practice lanes and will be used by senior players and juniors alike.

It has been installed at a cost of nearly £67,000 — yet it has not cost the club a penny.

President Brian Stafford explained that most of the funding had come from Viridor waste management, whose remit is to use some of their turnover to put something back into the community.

Viridor accepted Royton’s request for a grant and provided 90-per-cent of the funding.

The rest came from the Lancaster Club at Failsworth, who were hosts for Roytonians CC before they moved to the Paddock and became Royton third team.

Much of the groundwork for the project was done by former Royton committee member Darren Wrigley, who had strong links to the Roytonians team.

Given invaluable advice by Glenn Kershaw and Phil Pye of Littleborough, who had already achieved the club’s own application, Wrigley and other members of the committee, chaired by Stafford, made the initial inquiries. And the fruits of their labours are there for all to see just over a year later.

Stafford said: “There is an awful lot of practice played on the pitch and sometimes it has been difficult finding a strip for our junior section to practice on.

“We have a big junior section and they will get a lot of use out of this facility."

Club chairman Tony Spence said youngsters who are not directly linked with Royton CC would also benefit.

He said: “We are hoping local schools will be able to use the nets for two-hour sessions and that might increase our intake of youngsters and bring more children into cricket.

“We already have a large junior section, but this facility might help us to increase that.”