Cricket coach pitches for better public facilities in the Murraylands
Kids need free access to more nets if they're going to learn the game, Kym Schenscher says.
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If you and your kids have ever been frustrated by the lack of quality, freely available cricket facilities in Murray Bridge, you're not alone.
In the winter Kym Schenscher spends his time umpiring football, but when summer hits, so does his enthusiasm for cricket.
Mr Schenscher currently coaches Mypolonga's under-13 cricket side and, with his son Phoenix playing, they often look to local nets for extra training.
But he said the nets at Ramblers' home ground, Le Messurier Oval, were the only ones freely available to the public.
"The nets are very dangerous, with lots of rocks and holes in the matting and even holes in the net," Mr Schenscher said.
"We need to encourage kids to play cricket ... our under 13 numbers are okay but we only have a few under 15 teams (in the Murray Towns Cricket Association)."
Houses being built today had no backyards, so kids needed an adequate space to practice their skills, he said.
The other cricket clubs in Murray Bridge include Monarto, Wanderers and Imperials.
The two former clubs have retractable nets, making batting practise difficult and Imperials' are padlocked from public use.
The Monarto, Imperials and Wanderers cricket clubs aren't the most accessible nets for public use. Photos: Liana Webster
"We need to get kids off the screens and onto the pitch," he said.
Mr Schenscher recently took friends visiting from interstate to the Le Messurier nets for a hit and they were in disbelief at the poor facilities for a town of Murray Bridge's size.
A lot of the time, Mr Schenscher will end up spending the extra 15 minutes in the car to Mypolonga just to have a hit on better facilities.
Ultimately Mr Schenscher would like to see new facilities down at Sturt Reserve.
"We already have a skate park, basketball hoops and tennis nearby, so let's make it a great family space," he said.
"There's a nice spot in between the tennis courts ... you build it and the (families and kids) will come.
"This year's TV cricket ratings have been some of the highest, so we need to capitalise on that."
The Big Bash League recently confirmed its status as Australia’s most watched sports league on a per-game basis.
Its 34 matches were watched by an average of 911,000 viewers.
"Cricket's starting to get a real buzz about it ... and if we have nowhere to play or practise it, (kids) aren't gonna play," Mr Schenscher said.
