A state of the art indoor training
facility for Eversley Cricket Club
When Cemex applied for permission to
extract 650,000 tonnes of sand and
gravel from land at Eversley, little did
the community know it would result in an
outstanding sports facility.
Eversley Cricket Club had formed an alliance with
the Eversley and California Football Club in 2002
to create Eversley Sports Association, which
formally became a charity in 2009. Following
completion of the excavation and reinstatement,
Cemex made the land available to the Association,
allowing both clubs to reassess their position and
plan for the future.
A £1.5 million investment later, the first two
phases of their decided project were complete.
Phase one included eight new football pitches, a
cricket square, and a changing block.
Phase two, much to the delight of the cricket club,
was a brand new state-of-the-art indoor cricket
facility.
All cricket clubs aspire to an indoor training
facility and that aspiration was to become a reality
for Eversley. The club wanted the best their money
could buy; a structure with lighting, flooring, and
collinson.co.uk
netting, all of a superior standard. If they were
going to do it, they wanted to do it right!
Money was sourced from various funding bodies
including local authorities, district and parish
councils, and local businesses – plus a large grant
from the now-defunct National Sports Foundation
(now part of Sport England), with the balance
being raised through fundraising by the club.
From a financial standpoint a traditional brick
build was unachievable, so the search commenced
for an alternative. It was the tensile refurbishment
of the Ageas Bowl, formally the Rose Bowl
in Hampshire, which prompted the team to
investigate the benefits of clear span tension
membrane buildings.
After a little research the club were introduced to
Collinson, national specialists in tensile facilities.
The club visited other sites supplied, erected,
and fit out by Collinson and were impressed by
what they saw and heard. After working with the
Collinson team to figure out the best specification