Worcs switch pre-season venue

By Paul Bolton, County News Correspondent

Worcestershire have switched the start of their outdoor pre-season training to Kidderminster where they will have nets under a large translucent marquee.

The county’s New Road headquarters has been under water or snow for most of the last two months with three floods in quick succession submerging the ground to a depth of several feet.

The square is still covered by a layer of residual silt and the groundstaff have had little opportunity to prepare the ground for the coming season since November.

So Worcestershire have taken the decision to use the back-up facilities at Kidderminster which is quick-draining and where groundsman Damon Willetts, soon to become assistant groundsman at New Road, has been able to do more preparation.

The marquee, similar to the one used by Essex last year, will be erected over the square on the second team ground at Kidderminster’s Chester Road ground and Worcestershire’s players will report for training there on March 11.

Worcestershire hope that the net facilities at New Road will be ready for use by early April and there will be no need to transfer any competitive cricket to Kidderminster as they had to last season.

Worcestershire have no cricket scheduled at New Road until May 8 when Leicestershire visit for an LV= County Championship match to allow building work to progress on the new hotel and conference centre at the ground.


Date: 14/02/2013 16:00:00 by Paul Bolton
In: Worcestershire | Today |