by Cam Lucadou-Wells
A cricket club’s long wait for relocated cricket nets could extend to up to 15 years as part of a Greater Dandenong Council masterplan.
Since 2017, junior players at Dandenong West Cricket Club walk a one-kilometre round-trip from their provisional nets to Monahan Pavilion’s toilets and changerooms in Greaves Reserve.
They have made the zig-zagging trek across two since their original nets were demolished due to safety concerns.
Club secretary Jack Wind says “enough is enough” as the council has continued to prioritise other projects such as Thomas Carroll and Barry Powell reserves.
“We have to tell kids at training half a kilometre away from our clubrooms, if you want to go to the toilet, do your best to hold on.
“If young girls want to get changed for training, which has happened, it is another logistical issue of travelling up and down to the clubrooms.”
The 95-year-old club had been a reliable tenant at Greaves Reserve since occupying “what is affectionately known as the chook shed” in the 1950s, Wind says.
“No other cricket club in the City of Greater Dandenong has to put up with this inconvenience.
“The club has waited patiently while the council has prioritised other projects but enough is enough.
“We are not prepared to stay silent while we treated so poorly.”
Juniors coach Peter Atkinson says the nets were demolished due to the run-ups overlapping onto the cricket field.
Ironically, those safety concerns may have created a worse safety issue for players aged 8-12 years potentially crossing roads between the pavilion and nets.
“Parents are frustrated – if they’re around, they have to take their kids back to the pavilion to go to the toilet.
“It’s not tenable, it just doesn’t work. We’ve lost all of our junior girl players.”
In late 2023, the council approved a masterplan for Greaves Reserve – where DWCC is a tenant.
This financial year, the council is installing floodlights on oval four, renewing fences on oval three and building a new sprint track and path.
However the cricket nets’ relocation is a “medium priority project” due between sometime between 2029 and 2032, council CEO Jacqui Weatherill said last week.
“We estimate the total cost for relocating and building the nets will be around $330,000 and have explored ways to fund and deliver the project sooner for the club.
“Our advocacy efforts have not yet resulted in other funding sources.
“We will keep our residents up-to-date with the latest information on the project on our Have Your Say website, including if the timeline or cost of delivery changes.”
