Cricket Tasmania gets the green light to pursue High Performance Centre after sale of golf course land
Elite sport in Tasmania is about to get a third High Performance Centre as Royal Hobart agreed to sell its land to Cricket Tasmania. See how much they paid.
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Cricket Tasmania hit a six in its bid to build a High Performance Centre at Seven Mile Beach with Royal Hobart Golf Club agreeing on Wednesday to sell it a parcel of land for $1.8m.
After “robust” discussions between 137 eligible Royal Hobart club members at a special general meeting, a majority vote of 111 backed the sale of 15.4 hectares to Tasmanian cricket’s governing body.
Designs for the state-of-the art facility include an administration centre, more than 60 practice wickets and three grounds.
CT boss Dominic Baker said it would directly support Tasmania’s 55 contracted professional cricketers, 200 developing cricketers in Cricket Tasmania’s pathway programs and the broader
Tasmanian cricket community that boasts 17 cricket associations, servicing over 72 competitions and 135 clubs.
RHGC general manager Nathan Sharrock said the club was delighted with the pending sale.
“It was a robust discussion last night but overall there was a positive vibe in the room,” Sharrock said.
“It will be great to have Cricket Tasmania next door in the future.”
RHGC will hand over the land by mid-April.
“The next step is to finalise the contract in the next 60 days, based on the Heads of Agreement that was already signed,” Sharrock said.
“There won’t be any change to the conditions in that.
“Then from our point of view, it’s over to Cricket Tasmania, who are responsible for all of the council consultations and approvals and subdivision, things of that nature.”
Sharrock hopes top-level golf and cricket could form a unique alliance.
“It’s a great partnership with the potential for sharing of resources and high performance facilities and turf management,” he said.
“It’s something that can benefit the Royal Hobart Golf Club in the longer term.”
Baker believes the High Performance Centre will be an important facility for the growth of the sport in Tasmania.
“For several years Cricket Tasmania has been considering the infrastructure requirements for Tasmanian cricket’s future operations, from grassroots to the elite levels, and what will best support development of the sport, athlete pathways and commercial outcomes,” he said.
“The High Performance Centre will be a fantastic home for professional cricket with community access to be able to use professionally-maintained turf wickets and take some of the pressure off the council grounds, allow cricketers to be able to train earlier and have community-based stuff down there over about 60-odd practice wickets and three grounds.”
Originally published as Cricket Tasmania gets the green light to pursue High Performance Centre after sale of golf course land
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