Central Park Cricket Pitch Reopens After Being Moved and Reconfigured

Burlington's only cricket pitch is open again. The Central Park field reopened after months of construction, with Mayor Marianne Meed Ward, incoming Ward 2 councillor Sean Campbell and returning Ward 6 councillor Angelo Bentivegna each taking a turn with the bat while residents and cricket groups from across Halton watched.

The pitch closed earlier this year after neighbours raised concerns about balls being hit close to houses, along with noise and safety complaints. The fix was to move it. The pitch sits only a few metres from where it used to be, but the field now has a 55 metre boundary and an additional 18 metre buffer around it.

How it gets used has changed too. Groups now need a permit to play, which lets the city control the hours and stop one group holding the field all day. Only the traditional leather hardball is allowed, and play is limited to the recreational level.

"We needed to make changes to make the ground safer," said Imran Aslam, vice-president of the Burlington Cricket Club. "We wanted to have a level of play at the recreational level for adults and youth, and we have to ensure the safety of our members and our neighbours, that is the most important thing to us."

Not everyone left satisfied. Some residents questioned whether the permit rule will be enforced, and others pointed out that most of the season went to the construction: the cricket season runs from early May to late October, and there were four days of it left by the time the field opened. The mayor set up a Cricket Liaison Committee during the work to give neighbours a direct line to the city and the clubs.

For Meed Ward the morning had a familiar shape. She bowled the first ball at the original opening of the Central Park field in 2010, when she was the Ward 2 councillor and the pitch was still a pilot project. Updates on the project are posted on the city's cricket page. A second, purpose built cricket facility is planned for Sherwood Park, with construction expected to start in 2028.