The Committee wanted to provide a brief update on the rebuild of Mark Taylor Oval.
We are very aware that players and members – and anyone associated with the Club, or the local community, or in fact Sydney cricket broadly – are vitally interested in developments and are wondering when the build will be finished and the ground available for use.
As you will know, in the years leading up to the decision to rebuild the oval, MTO was the most washed-out Premier ground in Sydney, and was ranked 19th or 20th out of the top 20 cricket ovals in Sydney. A serious solution was required and the Committee endorsed a plan to redevelop the oval and precinct. The Indoor Centre, opened in January 2023, is the first part of that plan to be delivered.
The oval was dug up following the 2020/21 season – the last match being the 3rd Grade Grand Final where the team captained by Clayton Waters, completed an amazing undefeated season with the Premiership.
We knew that the build – including re-levelling the ground, rebuilding the soil profile, new turfing, new irrigation, new drainage, new fences, and new guttering – would take the 2021/22 season.
We didn’t know that we would lose the next two seasons due to a gross under-supply of Oberon wicket soil. The consistent wet weather in 2021 and 2022 massively limited production of the soil, which is found in only a few places in NSW and milled and produced by only a couple of suppliers.
The weather this year has been noticeably drier and production has recommenced.
We require approximately 510 tonnes of Oberon soil to complete the MTO centre wicket and the practice wickets. We know that the supplier is working towards this amount and recently had a bit more than half in storage, dry and ready. We will await the full quantity before beginning the work when the wicket contractor is ready.
We need further good weather to continue production, and we also require good weather to build the wickets. The soil, in 7mm spheres, will be constantly rolled and compacted during the build, to ensure a quality finish, before the Santa Ana couch is laid. The wickets will be built by the same contractor that has built the wickets at the SCG, Bellerive, North Sydney, Bankstown amongst others.
The build could take up to a month and will involve a bit of dislocation around the oval and though we will be able to use the Indoor Centre, the precinct will be impacted – but not for long.
When will the soil arrive and the work begin? I honestly can’t answer that and any answer I would have given over the last two years would have been wrong so I’m not likely to speculate now! I will say that I believe the soil and the work is not too far away. I will update with news when it comes with certainty! What I can say is that the finished product of a training centre comprising new turf nets, the indoor centre and the oval, combined with a playing surface for top-level matches, will be a wonderful result for the three challenging years we have endured. Further the Committee is working towards lodging a Development Application this year to rebuild the Clubroom with new amenities, canteen and storage and improved dressing room amenities.
When the MTO work is complete, we will have a facility everyone will be proud of.
Thanks to everyone for their patience during this process – and best of luck to our teams this weekend!
cheers
Jeremy Hook
President