Eaton Socon Cricket Club new and refurbished practice nets

Our project will carry out essential refurbishment and expansion of Eaton Socon Cricket Club’s existing two-lane all-weather practice nets, which are now unsafe due to decades of wear, root/vegetation growth beneath the surface, and badly deteriorated netting.
Alongside the rebuild, we will add a third practice lane, expanding capacity by 50%, enabling more users (including juniors, women and girls, disability cricket and local schools/community groups) to train safely at the same time. This will significantly increase community capacity for sport and physical activity. With the 1000+ new homes either built or planned to be built in the area, it’s important that community facilities like ours grow their capacity limits to meet the rapidly increasing levels of demand.
The current two-lane practice facility is now unsafe and unfit for purpose. The surface has become uneven due to movement and root growth beneath the base, and the netting is badly deteriorated. These issues create clear trip hazards and reduce confidence for juniors, adults and visiting users.
• Falling usage because people don’t feel safe: The club has already seen a drop in usage (around 30% during 2025) because members, parents and coaches are avoiding the nets due to safety concerns and the poor condition of the facility.
• Consultation and survey evidence (52 responses): We carried out a short consultation survey with 52 people including members, parents, coaches, and local community users. The feedback strongly reinforced the need for refurbishment.
We also sought views from the wider local community - including local schools, local Governing Bodies (Cricket East & School Sports Partnerships), and elderly sporting groups that we host, e.g Cambridgeshire & Huntingdonshire Over 50’s, 60’s & 70’s. Their comments reinforce that the nets are an essential local resource and that improving them will increase safe participation, strengthen school–club links, and expand safe to access opportunities for juniors and wider community
use.
• Committee-led assessment of alternative provision and travel barriers: As part of project planning, our committee reviewed nearby training options and concluded there is no comparable all-weather practice facility within an 8-mile radius. If our nets remain unsafe, local residents, especially young people and those without transport, have limited realistic
alternatives for year-round practice.
• Safer, smoother all-weather surface replaces the worn, uneven net surface. A professionally installed, level all-weather system will create a stable, consistent and slip-resistant training area. This reduces trip risk and makes the facility easier to use for people with limited mobility, balance difficulties, or visual impairments.