Easts Rugby end agreement with Coorparoo Cricket following dispute over ground works
Hundreds of juniors could be left without a pitch to play cricket with a Brisbane club to be booted out after almost 40 years following a dispute with a rugby union club.
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ALMOST 1000 people could be left without a place to play cricket with a Brisbane club being kicked off the place they have called home for almost 40 years.
Easts Rugby Union, the leaseholders of Bottomley Park at Coorparoo, have given the Coorparoo Cricket Club until July 31, to leave after the relationship between the two clubs turned sour following a dispute over works done to the grounds earlier this year.
The decision comes just four weeks before the start of the upcoming cricket season on September 19 and has left members and some local residents furious with a petition for the Brisbane City Council to save the club receiving almost 2000 signatures.
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Easts Rugby president Simon Box said irrigation works undertaken by Coorparoo Cricket caused extensive damage to the fields, which Brisbane City Council estimate will cost $100,000 to fix.
“We initially signed a letter of support for the works because as the head tenant we need to sign off on it but then Coorparoo Cricket skipped over some other approval processes and the works weren’t of the quality they needed to be,” he said.
“This caused a lot of damage to the fields and as a club we need to protect the facility.
“In recent years, they’ve been a pretty tough club to deal with and this was the final straw.”
Coorparoo Cricket Club president Marc Fidler said they were stumped by the actions of Easts Rugby.
“The fact that they’re trying to kick us out of our home just weeks before the new season is quite frankly callous,” he said.
“It’s shocking that Brisbane Council would side with the rugby club when they’re supposed to ensure the ground is used by more than one sport.
“The idea that would purposefully damage the grounds we love is ridiculous.
“We have always been open with Easts and the council about the planned upgrade and thought we were all on the same page when the diggers moved in.
“To be honest, it feels like they’re using it as an excuse to try and get rid of us.”
Fidler also said allegations from Easts the works done to prepare the grounds for the irrigation turned up dangerous landfill contaminants have been proven false after tests were done at the site and showed no unsafe materials present.
In a statement, a Brisbane City Council spokesman said the council was called to inspect the fields in May after receiving complaints about the works.
“The damage was caused by the Coorparoo Cricket Club, which had undertaken extensive trenching works on the fields without the approval of the lessee Easts Rugby Union or council,” he said.
“Council is working closely with Easts Rugby Union to ensure the fields are made safe and that cricket can continue to be played at the site in the future.”
The decision has angered Councillor for Morningside (ALP), who said council needed to mediate a solution.
“The Lord Mayor must immediately intervene so cricketers and their families aren’t simply thrown on to the street,” she said.
“This club has been a cornerstone of the community for over 40 years and the council must do everything in its power to ensure its survival”.
Mr Box said they were in discussions to have other junior cricket clubs play at Bottomley Park.
The Coorparoo Cricket Club and Cr Cook are hosting a rally to Save Cricket in Coorparoo on Sunday at Bottomley Park from 9.30am.
To view the petition, click here.