Deal gives cricket club 10 more years

Cromer cricket club is set to extend its innings at its long-standing ground by 10 years thanks to a new lease deal.Local cricketers faced drawing stumps at their picturesque Overstrand Road pitch in two years, after more than half a century there, when the owners said the lease would not be extended beyond September 2011.

Cromer cricket club is set to extend its innings at its long-standing ground by 10 years thanks to a new lease deal.

Local cricketers faced drawing stumps at their picturesque Overstrand Road pitch in two years, after more than half a century there, when the owners said the lease would not be extended beyond September 2011.

But landowners, builders H Bullen and Son - part of the R G Carter Group which has strong ties with Norfolk cricket - have had a change of heart and say the club can stay for another decade.

The club has welcomed the news and is now planning to make improvements to the pavilion and clubhouse at the Norton Warnes ground which had been put on hold during the recent uncertainty about its future.

News of the ground problem was reported last month, amid concerns the club would struggle to find a new home and bring it up to playing standard in the tight time scale before its lease ran out.

Despite its short boundaries, which meant scrapping plans for a 20-20 tournament there because homes and roads were too close, there was also a reluctance to move from the ground because of its location close to the town centre.

Club chairman John Graveling could not comment on the longer-term plans for the club but said 'everyone at the club is pleased we can continue playing here'.

A joint statement released by the club and landlords said: 'Cromer Cricket Club will be playing at the Norton Warnes ground on Overstrand Road well into the next decade if they decide to sign a new lease with the ground's owner. 'Cromer based H Bullen and Son Limited, which is part of the R G Carter Construction group, confirm the club can continue with a new lease up to 2021. The cricket club will now be pressing ahead with renovation and repair work to the pavilion and club house.'

Norton Warnes was the managing director of H Bullen and Sons Limited, part of the R G Carter Group which had a long association with cricket in Norfolk, not least the Carter Cup, it added.

'Cromer has been playing on the present ground since the mid 1950s and are now in Norfolk's cricket premier league. The club would like to thank H Bullen and Son Limited for making it possible for cricket enthusiasts to continue to enjoy playing and watching cricket at the Overstrand Road ground."

The new lease will be discussed by the club committee next week.