Where is the welcome mat for school cricketers?

Magnitude of NSW Combined High Schools Open Boys Cricket Championships lost on Clarence Valley Council, with city's main ground out of action.

The last time Grafton hosted a premier cricket competition was the NSW Country Cup and Country Plate competitions in December 2016. Tamworth batsman Tait Burns is pictured driving during his side's memorable defeat to Tweed in the final played in sweltering Grafton conditions at Ellem Oval. Picture: Adam Hourigan

IN A HUGE coup for Grafton, the city will host the NSW Combined High Schools Open Boys Championships for the first time from November 4 to 7.

The pinnacle of schoolboy cricket in the state, household names who gained NSW CHS selection from this tournament include David Warner (2003), Usman Khawaja (2004), Phillip Hughes (2004/05), Steve Smith (2006), Josh Hazlewood (2006), Sean Abbott (2009) and more recently Jason Sangha (2015).

Grafton has rarely had the opportunity to host major cricket events. But we do have facilities worthy of showcasing to the state's cricketing faithful. Or at least we thought we did.

For years Clarence River Cricket Association has pushed Clarence Valley Council for upgrades to its wickets. In 2014/15 it got its wish with a new pitch at McKittrick Park, and planned its 2018/19 draw with the understanding Ellem Oval would be out of action for the latter part of the season. In other words, no matches would be played from February onwards, including grand finals, as renovations were made to the middle square.

But this didn't eventuate, and in the end local curator Scully Blanch got to work to have the pitch back up in time to host the CRCA finals in March.

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In the meantime, eager to showcase Grafton's facilities including a brand new wicket on our best ground, locals successfully pitched to host the flagship school tournament in November.

Those upgrades are now scheduled for the coming weeks, putting Ellem Oval out of action for the months ahead.

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Where is the welcome mat for these future stars of the game? If not ensuring the state-of-the-art new pitch was ready in time for the best cricketers ever to visit Grafton, then surely put the works on hold until afterwards so they can experience the city's premier facility.

The magnitude of this event seems lost on Clarence Valley Council.

It adds up to an embarrassment for the organisers when participants in this esteemed school cricket competition travel an enormous distance to find out the tournament they've toiled away to earn selection to be part of is not worthy enough to warrant the best ground in town being made available.

Originally published as Where is the welcome mat for school cricketers?