The cricketers of Ferrybridge Cricket Club have been knocked for six by the opening of a brand new pavilion, built thanks to support from SSE and Multifuel Energy Limited.
The cricket club’s previous facilities were relocated to enable the construction of a £300 million Multifuel project on the site. The old pavilion and pitch have both been replaced with a modern facility close to the station’s iconic cooling towers, providing a dramatic backdrop for an afternoon’s innings.
SSE’s Chief Executive, Ian Marchant, officially opened the new facilities on 5 June and the cricket club chose to name the new building the Ian Marchant Pavilion in recognition of his upcoming departure from the company. The celebrations also included a grudge match between the Ferrybridge ‘C’ cricket club and a team from the Multifuel project. In a tight game, the ‘visitors’ lost out to the Pontefract and District Cricket League outfit by 10 runs.
Built during the early days of the station as recreational facilities for station workers and the wider community, the cricket pitch and pavilion have been in operation for around 40 years. Although now managed independently from the power station, many club members still work at Ferrybridge or have family links there.
To commemorate the opening and mark the link between the club and the station, a 2-foot wide mill ball was donated by the power station and now has pride of place outside the new pavilion. Painted red and made to look like a giant cricket ball, it had previously been in use at the station since 1999 and had crushed 92,000 tonnes of coal in its lifetime.
Ian Marchant said: “I am delighted to be able to open the cricket pavilion here today. There is a long association between cricket and Ferrybridge 'C' Power station and with these new facilities, I hope this union will continue well into the future. I would like to wish Ferrybridge 'C' cricket club every success and hope that they go from strength to strength.”
Ferrybridge ‘C’ Power Station Cricket Club chairman, Steve Walters said: “The new facilities are second to none and we’re hoping to encourage even greater participation in cricket, and other sports, because of these fantastic new facilities within our community.”
