Rance Oval upgrade a win for local cricket teams

Wednesday, 12 August 2020

The next crop of potential cricket stars, club officials and spectators can look forward to the best season of cricket yet as upgrades to improve Rance Oval in Werrington get underway.

The $585,000 upgrade includes the expansion of the existing amenity building to provide player showers, umpire change room, club and canteen storage. A new automatic irrigation system was also installed in May. The project will also deliver new accessible public toilets to the site.

These upgrades were jointly funded by Penrith City Council and through grants awarded by the NSW Government ICC World T20 2020 Cricket Legacy Fund, Cricket NSW and Penrith Cricket Club.

Penrith Mayor Ross Fowler OAM said Rance Oval is a wonderful asset for our local cricket teams and the work to improve the site will be welcomed by clubs and players alike.

“These upgrades will directly benefit our junior and senior representative cricket players who meet and compete at this oval each week and will hopefully encourage more people to get involved in the sport,” Cr Fowler said.

“Of course, we know it is not just sporting clubs who use this oval. The community will also benefit year-round, and I look forward to seeing families and groups of friends getting active at the improved facilities.”

The NSW ICC T20 World Cup Legacy Fund will deliver up to $6 million dollars to cricket clubs and councils to support the growth in cricket participation in NSW.

Acting Minister for Sport Geoff Lee said the Rance Oval project was a great example of how the NSW ICC T20 World Cup 2020 Cricket Legacy Fund was benefiting grassroots and community cricket across the State.

“We’ve given more than $4 million to clubs and councils to support 133 projects across NSW during the first two rounds and we’re proud to see the positive impacts on cricket across our state,” Mr Lee said.

“The Legacy Fund invests in all levels of cricket, from girls and boys picking up a bat and ball for the first time, to showcasing our elite players at events across NSW.”

Cricket NSW Chief Executive Officer Lee Germon said Cricket NSW is delighted to have been involved in bringing the Rance Oval upgrades to fruition with a grant from the Australian Cricket Infrastructure Fund.

“Cricket NSW and Cricket Australia are committed to developing and improving facilities to help foster the love of cricket and increase participation across the broader community,” said Mr Germon.

“These projects are often not possible without collaboration and a partnership approach to funding. We would like to acknowledge Penrith City Council for their ongoing support for cricket in their community, and for the contributions made by the NSW Government via the ICC T20 World Cup 2020 Cricket Legacy Fund and by Penrith Cricket Club”.

Penrith Cricket Club President Paul Goldsmith said the investment in Rance Oval is a great outcome for the cricket community and thanked Council, the NSW Government and Cricket NSW for their support.

“The Penrith Cricket Club is excited to see the development of Rance Oval near its completion. The investment in the ground and change room facilities will make Rance Oval one of the best cricket grounds in the wider area,” Mr Goldsmith said.

The Rance Oval upgrade is due to be complete by October 2020. For more information on this project and other park and playground upgrades please visit: https://www.penrithcity.nsw.gov.au/facilities-recreation/outdoor-recreation/sport-and-recreation-strategy

Information contained within this news release was correct as at Wednesday, 12 August 2020.