Well....doesn't the warmth of summer feel a long way away! It's freezing!! And this week snow is forecast! But that said Ray has been hard at work cutting and rolling the squares - which are looking lush and will be ready for play come April/May.

The outfield is coming on ok but could do with some warmer weather to spur on a little more growth, but that too is looking in good shape for the start of the season.

And the best news of all is that, whatever the weather, the ground will never be affected by flooding! In fact the irony is that, with the weather having been so dry recently, we really could do with some rain!

The clubhouse build is also coming on well. In recent weeks passers by would have noticed the roof going on and the block-work going up around the outside of the building - when stood on the first floor you really do get a sense of the space - and I can tell you that the views are incredible. Even Sir Alastair Cook (who recently visited the club) told us it was one the best views he'd ever seen from a cricket pitch!

So what does March bring? Well - hopefully by the end of March the building will be watertight. All the glazing will be in come start of April and the innards of the building can start to be put together. On the outside the roof will be complete and the cladding will also start to go on. It will really start to look like the vision we had..

And let's not forget - we've got a season of cricket to prepare for as well. And not just that - but it will be the most cricket that our club has EVER played! 2 additional girls teams, a 3rd XI and an U19. It certainly is ambitious if nothing else.

As we get into March - and hopefully it warms up a bit - there will be loads to get involved in. We've got the AGM on the 13th March - which is a bit of a formality but important none-the-less as we set out the vision for the next year.

On the 25th March it's another opportunity to plant a tree up at the new ground - another 400 to be precise. We've got a cake stall and the buy-a-brick stand will be there as well. So get there early to avoid disappointment!

April 9th we have the annual Easter Egg hint at 10am - come and fill your buckets with Easter treats!

Finally we have a couple of Winter Academy Sessions left to get your arms turning over before the season. Sundays 2-4 on the 12th and 26th March at Bicton.

I'll be posting a little more regularly over the coming weeks just because things will really start motoring...so keep tuned int for more exciting news ahead of the season!

Update - 20th December 2022

So as the year draws to a close we can reflect on a huge amount of progress (I think anyway!). The weather has been relatively kind to us in 2 respects - firstly the warm but wet autumn has meant that we've got a lush outfield and the squares are looking in super shape. The second is that it has allowed the on-site construction team to move things on with the pavilion.

To this point all the steel is up, all the services are laid, the 1st floor is completed (along with underfloor heating), and the ground floor is close to being laid. The internal stairs are in place and brickwork will start to go up in the new year. All in all things are going well and we seem to be on track!

In addition to the building work there is lots of other activity going on as well! The Committee are busy planning for the installation of the temporary bar facilities, and the temporary changing facilities will also be worked on ahead of the season.

We are also hoping that the work will commence on the practice nets early in the new year. So lots to be getting on with - and our fundraising team are hard at it!!

The Buy-a-brick scheme is working well - we are at about 13% of our target after only 6 weeks - a good start but a long way to go!! Also grant applications are in to several funding bodies and the new year will hopefully kickstart some funding from them.

So ends a VERY busy year - lots still to do on all fronts! If you have any ideas, or want to get involved, there's plenty of opportunities to do so....get in touch!!

Happy Christmas everyone!!!

Update - 24th November 2022

The last couple of weeks have seen some huge progress on the build site. The steel fabricators have been onsite erecting the massive steel structure that will form the skeleton of the new clubhouse. You can really get a sense of its size and position in the landscape.

With the steel Fram now almost entirely up you can also get a sense for what the view will be like - and it is SPECTACULAR!! Especially as this week the lower Otter flooded!!

And boy wasn't it nice to not have that sinking felling as you see the area that was formerly the ground fill up like a bathtub! And what's more the new club is bone dry!

The pitches continue to mature as the weather has remained warm and wet - the outfield has a "small" rabbit problem however the grass coverage is really good. The squares are absolutely immaculate. Ray has been leaving away up there making sure that they are attended to - and boy they look good.

In other news a giant septic tank has arrived - so no problems there! And the landscaping walls have now been fully erected and backfilled. These will settle and form the banking which will be planted out with wild flowers, tress and grass.

Next week we will see the greenskeepers end be completed, and the floor supports concreted in - and a shroud of scaffolding will go up as the team prepare to get the blockwork walls build.

Update - 12th October 2022

Hello everyone!

This is the first of a series of updates that will come out on a monthly basis to keep everyone updated on all things related to the new club. It's a REALLY exciting time for this club that has been part of the long, and rich history of Budleigh Salterton.

Not many people know but the first EVER game was played by Budleigh Salterton Cricket Club in 1858. Can you believe that! That makes our club 164 years old.

But the club has also moved several times! At least 6 times accordingly to our very own Club Historian - Kevin Curran who tells me that the club only settled at Ottermouth in 1935.

And so starts our next tenure - a 7th move - but this time it's forever!

The fantastic news is that the pitches have been built (which most of you will already know) and I can report that they are looking really good. This is despite the extended hot weather over the summer that saw the whole country go brown.

And this week (9th October 2022) the foundations will be poured!

Meanwhile the old club has been well and truly dismantled....a transformation into what will be wetlands is well underway....