Langwith Cricket Club ready to welcome back games after cash help

Cricket has been played at Langwith Cricket Ground since 1890. The club and ground have survived two world wars and two global pandemics, but in 2023, the obscure Chafer Grub devastated the ground, rendering it unplayable for the season.

After completing the end-of-season groundwork in November 2022, the club discovered in spring 2023 that wildlife seeking the Chafer Grubs had destroyed the outfield grass.

Ground management experts from the Ground Management Association inspected the site and confirmed an infestation of Chafer Grubs, declaring the ground unsafe for the 2023 cricket season.

The club swiftly arranged to host matches at alternative venues for the season. With continued financial support from the Langwith Parish Council and substantial donations from the England & Wales Cricket Board, Bowring Transport Limited and the Langwith Society, the club successfully secured funding from the Tarmac Landfill Communities Fund (TLCF) to renovate the ground.

The ground has been renovated, enclosed, and treated during the off-season to prevent future Chafer Grub damage. Moreover, the funding from TLCF has allowed the club to invest in solar panels, securing its future and enabling the junior section to build on the strong foundations laid in 2022, which the Chafer Grub infestation had interrupted.

Starting Friday, 7th June, Langwith Cricket Club will host cricket sessions every Friday night throughout the summer. Sessions for under 8s begin at 6 pm, and for over 8s at 6:30 pm. For more information or to volunteer to help shape the club's future, please email [email protected].

Richard Radford Langwith Cricket Clubs Junior Coordinator said: “The village reaps numerous benefits from having robust, volunteer-run sports clubs like ours. Langwith Cricket Club has long been a community cornerstone, offering both children and adults the chance to enhance their cricket skills, health, and broader social prospects.

“With resilience and resolve to overcome the devastation of the Chafer Grub infestation, and with substantial support from the Tarmac Landfill Communities Fund, we have demonstrated the potential within communities like ours. Without Tarmac's support for this project, the club might have faced its final inning at 133.”

The Landfill Communities Fund was established by the Government in 1996. It enables landfill operators to donate part of their annual tax liability to enrolled Environmental Bodies for a variety of approved community and environmental projects. Through the fund, Tarmac donates around £1 million to projects each year. For more information, visit www.entrust.org.uk or email [email protected].

Robert Lees, senior operations manager at Tarmac’s Whitwell Quarry, said: “We are very pleased that the donation from the Tarmac Landfill Communities Fund has enabled the club to do much needed renovations and improvements. We hope that these developments to the club can be enjoyed by the players and the local community."