Alexandra Hills Cricket Club president Mark Burrowes at the club's temporary facilities at Windemere Road.
ALEXANDRA Hills Cricket Club holds its junior and senior sign-on sessions this weekend and next at Keith Surridge Park, Windemere and Finucane roads, Alexandra Hills.
The cricket club is looking for new digs this year after Redland City Council dug up its concrete cricket pitch in 2011 at the playing fields it shared with local AFL and netball clubs.
But the club’s two-year mission to find a home base may have come to an end if a deal between the council and Capalaba State College, on School Road, Capalaba, comes to fruition.
Division 7 councillor Murray Elliott, said the college had allowed the club to be based at the school and promised council would look for funding grants during its Q1 financial review at the end of September.
Before then, Redland City Council representatives and Capalaba MP Steve Davies plan to meet cricketers to discuss all options for the club.
Club president Mark Burrowes said he was “happy” with the deal with Capalaba College but still feared the club would face a shortage of fields for senior matches this season.
“The pitch was ripped up without any consultation with the club, as was the granting of a permit to occupy to the AFL club in 2008,” he said.
“The wicket was supposed to stay in place while Redland City Council found a promised home ground for the cricket club, which it has failed to do over the past two years.
“The club has been forced to use the Alexandra Hills State High School as its home field for the past two years.
“It’s very difficult with the limited toilet facilities, lack of shade and no water tap available at the school,” he said.
Mr Burrowes said club said it was hit for six in 2011 when its bid was thwarted to hold junior cricket matches at the Windermere Road site on Friday nights over summer.
Further disappointment came this year, when the LNP state government pulled the pin on plans to hand over 7.82ha of state land on MacArthur Street, Alexandra Hills, to council for a community hub and sporting club grounds.
The cricket club has more than 150 members and the club estimates the cost of a new wicket at $20,000.
Cr Elliott said the council decided to rip up the wicket because there was not enough room at the Windemere Road site for three clubs.
“I am happy to find funds to set up the club at the State College but that money has to come from funding grants not the council directly,” Cr Elliott said.
“As soon as the college confirmed it would allow the club to base itself there, the council started getting costs for setting up nets, wickets and lighting.
“Redland Cricket had $180,000 in the bank, why can’t it also find $20,000 to build a new wicket at the college?” Cr Elliott asked.
