FOCP

I would like to see more bins myself for one but all the above plans sound ideal. Central Park is special i would rather see development like this that aids what its there for rather than destroyed for some yuppies pipe dream of a dentist at a football ground and a lighthouse in the stand.

Thanks TG. I can't argue with Angry's comments. I guess the big worry is how much of the money is poured into Pounds House. The money is for the park, as a park, not A N Other multi million restoration building project. There will always be other monies available elsewhere for the Pound House wedding centre.

Is Cricket Field, the old Plymouth Cricket Club field?

Is that a dumb question?

Who even owns that these days?! Stapes?

A jewel in the heart of the city that deserves grade A protection and sympathetic upkeep/improvements. Very few cities, London excepted, have such green expanses centrally located.

Mock Cuncher wrote:

Is Cricket Field, the old Plymouth Cricket Club field?

Is that a dumb question?

Who even owns that these days?! Stapes?

PCC owns the area but Stapes and friends has the lease.

Mock Cuncher wrote:

Is Cricket Field, the old Plymouth Cricket Club field?

Is that a dumb question?

Who even owns that these days?! Stapes?

I don't think any of the old Cricket Club actually counts as Central Park.

So Cricket Field is probably the bit at the top of the hill behind the BPE which Blunt's Lane leads to and was once a cricket square regularly used for local league cricket. Not sure how that ties in with the "orchard" plan for the slope going down to the Conker Trees (Coronation Avenue?).

The only other square I can recall in the park was on the field to the right of the path leading to Pounds House. If you stood at 6 Trees and looked down the hill it would be at about 5 o'clock in the lower grass area more or less next to the allotments. It was never used much (unlike the one at the top of the hill behind Argyle) because it was on a ludicrous slope but the name may have stuck.

The orchard plan went when Argyle were given planning for the area where the orchard was going, PCC spent the money on replacement trees in other area of the park. most have died, there is more of a story behind where PCC purchased the trees from.

I remember the old cricket pitch a long run down the hill to field the ball

Tgwu wrote:

The orchard plan went when Argyle were given planning for the area where the orchard was going, PCC spent the money on replacement trees in other area of the park. most have died, there is more of a story behind where PCC purchased the trees from.

I remember the old cricket pitch a long run down the hill to field the ball

... and several lusty throws to get it back up the hill!

I think we played Burleigh Secondary Modern there, my school cricket pitch was at the old Manadon playing fields, now sadly most of it is under the Parkway.

I played on the Plymouth cricket club pitch on occasion and that wasn't exactly on the level either.  I guess the hills all through the park are part of its charm.
There's another new community orchard by the newly laid cycle track that runs parallel with Central Park Avenue. Hopefully it will survive the gorms and grow to maturity. It appears apples are in fashion again. I even attended a newly organised wassail in Totnes a few months back. Can't understand why cider ever fell out of favour for so long.

beesrus wrote:

I played on the Plymouth cricket club pitch on occasion and that wasn't exactly on the level either.  I guess the hills all through the park are part of its charm.
There's another new community orchard by the newly laid cycle track that runs parallel with Central Park Avenue. Hopefully it will survive the gorms and grow to maturity. It appears apples are in fashion again. I even attended a newly organised wassail in Totnes a few months back. Can't understand why cider ever fell out of favour for so long.

Someone came up with the genius stroke of genius suggesting we put ice in it.

[quote="beesrus"]I played on the Plymouth cricket club pitch on occasion and that wasn't exactly on the level either.  I guess the hills all through the park are part of its charm.

I nearly played there once in a cup final, cut my hand in the week and was dropped.

I've played at the club itself and a smaller pitch with only a strip or two on it, maybe 10 years ago? I'm guessing that it was more or less downhill from the club itself next to allotments on one side and maybe Barn Park Road the other.

Like beesrus said, bowling up hill was always a pain, but it was rumoured to be the end which took more wickets. Whether or not that's actually true, you'd have to get in touch with someone who played more there. The square was always reliable at least, unlike at a fair few others in region.

The last time I had a wander through the park it was a bit of a mess.

It's a mess at the bottom by Barn Park because of the ludicrous idea to dam up the waterway years ago.
It's a mess around the car parks and funfair site.............. awful.
It's a mess in the field that was the spoil site for the Life centre contractors...............god bless private contractors
It's a mess where the old council depot is.
It's a mess at the top of Wake St, god bless private estates that don't keep roads they own up to scratch, in this case, St Aubyn.
It's a mess at HHP ..... god bless over taxed private landowners surrounded by municipal parks.

The rest of the park, which, fortunately, is most of it, is looking a picture at the moment. Not exactly to National Trust standards, but the city council don't have the same funds to spend and certainly don't have the same number of volunteers. I was at Castle Drogo today in the Teign Valley. Lovely NT estate, and just a cool 13 million public dosh being spent on repairing the leaded windows in the castle alone, let alone the roof .... twice the improvement funds allocated to the whole of Central Park. How's that work ?

I meant the cricket club and pitch itself was a mess. I like the park itself but the rents have moved away from their old place so the only time I'm in the area now is for Argyle.

Yes, you're right there Mocker, the cricket club area is a mess as well, but thought I would just use the thread for a bit of park politics.  
I for one would love to see the cricket club return, no one else seems to be taking up the challenge and one has to ask why. The same applies to the abandoned bowling green at Victoria Park. No community groups have been engaged. Apart from the old pre Argyle match drinks, the cricket club had their faults, but their return can't be any worse than the present neglect. It's all probably  about long term profiteering, something similar to Sutton up at the Derriford airport land and Brent's HHP torpour.

Mock Cuncher wrote:

I've played at the club itself and a smaller pitch with only a strip or two on it, maybe 10 years ago? I'm guessing that it was more or less downhill from the club itself next to allotments on one side and maybe Barn Park Road the other.

Like beesrus said, bowling up hill was always a pain, but it was rumoured to be the end which took more wickets. Whether or not that's actually true, you'd have to get in touch with someone who played more there. The square was always reliable at least, unlike at a fair few others in region.

The last time I had a wander through the park it was a bit of a mess.

That old line, eh?

"Yes I know it's uphill and in to the wind and the slope is all wrong for you but "it's the end which gets more wickets"... Just give me 2 overs. That's all I need from you."

Which is all code for "there's no way I'm putting you on at the other end when I could have a proper bowler who will bowl fast down the hill and use the slope and wind for swing and get me a few wickets."

beesrus wrote:

Yes, you're right there Mocker, the cricket club area is a mess as well, but thought I would just use the thread for a bit of park politics.  
I for one would love to see the cricket club return, no one else seems to be taking up the challenge and one has to ask why. The same applies to the abandoned bowling green at Victoria Park. No community groups have been engaged. Apart from the old pre Argyle match drinks, the cricket club had their faults, but their return can't be any worse than the present neglect. It's all probably  about long term profiteering, something similar to Sutton up at the Derriford airport land and Brent's HHP torpour.

The cricket club have thrived since they upped sticks and moved to Mount Wise-they had been in decline for years and went down several notches in the pecking order but the move regenerated them and they have been back in the Devon premier league for some time. Never played at Peverell Park but watched some matches there and got the impression that the club had stagnated-the pavilion was full of old photos from the 1930's or whatever and it just seemed to be stuck in a time warp, shame because it was a decent amphitheatre of sorts. Vaguely remember seeing people like Tom Graveney, Gary Sobers and Graeme Pollock play there for the International cavaliers but I was very young at the time, the only memory that stuck was seeing Pollock hit two humungous sixes over the trees.

I might have said this before Skinny. I had the privilege of bowling 2 overs as a school cricket nut against Gary Sobers there in a Pasty Harris celeb team. Days like that don't happen very often.
I heard somewhere the club itself had a problem with Mount Wise these days, but maybe just heresay. It certainly is getting hemmed in with more and more housing. A sweet services green space ruined apart from one cafe.

Greenskin wrote:

Vaguely remember seeing people like Tom Graveney, Gary Sobers and Graeme Pollock play there for the International cavaliers but I was very young at the time, the only memory that stuck was seeing Pollock hit two humungous sixes over the trees.

I would add Basil D'oliveira, Lance Gibbs, Fred Trueman, Geoff Boycott, Alan Knott and Graham Mackenzie to the list.
They were called the International Crusaders and were put together by the BBC's Ross Salmon. All the proceeds went to charity.

I think PCC have a game v The Lashings XI coming up for those who like that sort of thing.

Sir Francis Drake wrote:

Mock Cuncher wrote:

I've played at the club itself and a smaller pitch with only a strip or two on it, maybe 10 years ago? I'm guessing that it was more or less downhill from the club itself next to allotments on one side and maybe Barn Park Road the other.

Like beesrus said, bowling up hill was always a pain, but it was rumoured to be the end which took more wickets. Whether or not that's actually true, you'd have to get in touch with someone who played more there. The square was always reliable at least, unlike at a fair few others in region.

The last time I had a wander through the park it was a bit of a mess.

That old line, eh?

"Yes I know it's uphill and in to the wind and the slope is all wrong for you but "it's the end which gets more wickets"... Just give me 2 overs. That's all I need from you."

Which is all code for "there's no way I'm putting you on at the other end when I could have a proper bowler who will bowl fast down the hill and use the slope and wind for swing and get me a few wickets."

I was a run-up-less wibbler wobbler at best, it made no difference to me.

Although I liked wobbling a leg cutter up the hill followed by a big inducker next ball.

Actually, I found bowling uphill quite an advantage in certain circumstances. The place to do it was Collings Park. You could get a half decent run up but the strip itself was then steeper again. That resulted in the odd ball digging into the pitch as if you were a 7ft tall Dennis Lillee banging it in short. You could actually get the ball up and over the wicket keeper on an almost full length ball ! Not much point given the loss of 4 byes though.
I never could control the swing but I could get the ball to stand up and move off the seam. A big ego in the perfect conditions, an absolute mug another day on a flat pitch with a ball having seen several games in it's life.

Dear Friend of Central Park,

A brief reminder about tomorrow’s Friends Group meeting as it will be important for us to understand how Plymouth City Council intends to spend £6M
on Central Park.  Councillor Patrick Nicholson, PCC Cabinet Member for Strategic Transport, Housing and Planning, is going to say a few introductory words
and PCC Officers, Tom Lowry and/or Zoe Sydenham, will be there to explain what is planned in more detail.
Please invite families and friends to come.  We will be in the Bowling Pavilion from 7.15 pm.


It will help to have a look at “Central Park Improvements” and “Central Park Sports Plateau” on PCC’s website before the meeting:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
plymouth.gov.uk%2FmgDelegatedDecisions.aspx%3F%26amp%3BRP%3D0%26amp%
3BK%3D0%26amp%3BV%3D0%26amp%3BDM%3D0%26amp%3BHD%3D0%26amp%
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3BDR%3D11%252f04%252f2017-25%252f04%252f2017

A good meeting tonight, well attended, trying to spend the first £2,500.000 of £9,000 000,

Plan is  to change and  create more football pitches to junior ones, keep the rugby pitch, all pitches will have drainage installed. More bins, all paths to be repaired and to chose the positioning of a cafe/toilets/changing rooms.
These plans were taken from the 2013 plans and will be out for consultation at the end of May. Work  must start in April.

Cricket

There will be an all weather training strip laid in between two of the junior football pitches

The new cricket pitch will be reinstated in the old Plymouth cricket ground