Northamptonshire County Cricket Club's ground plan 'exciting'

West Northamptonshire Council agreed a 125-year lease for a new cricket ground at New Manor Farm in Moulton

A county cricket club chairman says its acquisition of a 125-year lease that will enable it to build a new ground is "exciting beyond words".

West Northamptonshire Council's cabinet agreed the lease of New Manor Farm in Moulton to Northamptonshire County Cricket Club (NCCC) on Tuesday.

NCCC would retain its current venue at Wantage Road for first-team matches.

The club's chairman Gavin Warren said it wanted to build a "world class" training ground on the site.

In its proposal to the council, which owns the land, NCCC said it wanted to "create a new state-of-the-art cricket facility to complement its existing headquarters at Wantage Road and dramatically increase its impact on the Northants community".

The new facility, costing an estimated £13m, would include two first-class standard pitches, outdoor practice areas, a pavilion, an indoor academy, temporary stands and parking areas.

The ground would initially have one stand, with capacity for 2,000 spectators.

Plans for the site include senior and junior pitches, an indoor cricket school and car parking

Speaking to BBC Radio Northampton, Mr Warren said: "This is a fantastic opportunity for Northamptonshire sport - boy and girls, men and women.

"If we aspire to host more representative England games, women's games… we need more space. This [proposal] provides the space we need to attract and give people opportunities at the elite level.

"We want the next Ben Duckett coming through our system. We aspire to bring through our own players and this is a great opportunity for boys and girls to start somewhere and hopefully play for England one day."

Mr Warren also reiterated that the club's historic County Ground would be "going nowhere".

The club said it would now work with the council and the Moulton community to shape the plans so they could get planning consent.

However, some local residents expressed concern at the proposal, with one saying she had "heard nothing at all" about the plans.

The council has allowed NCCC to acquire the lease for the land for a nominal fee and a council report suggested the maximum timescale for the construction is five years.

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