Stratford cricket earns council's vote

The P.E.I. Cricket Association got a big boost from Stratford council Wednesday night, with a vote to expand on the cricket pitch at Tea Hill Park.

'Hopefully … it will be a recognized sport for the town of Stratford.' — Coun. Steve MacDonald

Council also voted to build another soccer field.

The cricket association has only been around for three years, but its popularity is growing, and recreation committee chair Steve MacDonald said it deserves support.

"We have a lot of the cricket players working in Stratford and I think it's a good thing," said MacDonald.

"It's something that hopefully, in the next two or three years, it will be a recognized sport for the town of Stratford."

The improvements at the Tea Hill Park pitch will include a scoreboard and a roller to keep the field flat, and come with a $175,000 price tag. The project requires the participation of the province and Ottawa, with the cricket association also contributing some money.

Town council also wants to move forward with a new soccer field, at a cost of $115,000. Like the cricket pitch, it would require money from the province and Ottawa.

MacDonald said the demand for soccer in Stratford, the fastest growing community on P.E.I., warrants a new field.

"The youth are playing (soccer) that much younger, so we need extra fields to take in that extra group that's playing now," he said.

The new soccer field would be built next to the current fields in the industrial park. Those fields were built just a few years ago.

If the funding comes through, the fields could be ready for next summer.