County cricket's newest arena will 'grow the game'

The sound of leather on willow has been heard for first time at English cricket's newest first class cricket venue.

Lancashire County Cricket Club's first game at its second home ground AO Farington in South Ribble saw the Red Rose county beat Kent in the Metro Bank One Day Cup on Tuesday.

Mark Chilton, the club's director of cricket performance, said the new ground will "help the growth of the game in the region at all levels" adding: "The beauty of the place is that it is in the heart of the county, making it very accessible."

The first new ground to host first-class cricket since Hampshire opened the Rose Bowl in 2001 is modelled roughly on the Hagley Oval in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Five years ago the club identified what it described as a "pressing need" for a second ground due to the number of international and domestic matches staged at its traditional Old Trafford home.

Although its capacity is 5,000, this was limited to 2,000 for the Kent game and Thursday's match with Notts Outlaws - which the team also won - acting as trial runs.

In addition to the professional oval which will also host two women's 50-over games in September, there is the community oval which will be used throughout the year by the local community.

As part of the project, Lancashire County Council has mostly funded the ground's development on the condition that the Lancashire Cricket Foundation makes it available for hundreds of hours of community use.

Over the winter, the club is also building an indoor dome training facility, which has been supported with funding from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.

The dome is England's second indoor facility, the first opened two years ago at the Park Avenue ground in Bradford.

The domes are part of a drive by the England and Wales Cricket Board to build high-class facilities in areas that are desperately lacking suitable places to play.

Lancashire said it is "county aligning" with the England Cricket Board's vision of wanting to open up the sport to people of all backgrounds.

The new facility is also a women's cricket centre of excellence and hosts competitive matches when Old Trafford is unavailable.

Speaking in 2021, the late Sir Howard Bernstein, then club president, said it was "an important step in aiding us to grow the game in Lancashire and help us to extend our reach in the county".

Lancashire will continue to use the club's current grounds in Liverpool, Southport and Birkdale, Blackpool, and at Sedbergh School once the new facility has opened.

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