A new sports centre opened in Greenford last week that will offer first-class cricket facilities to the community.
The Wilf Slack Cricket Centre opened at William Perkin High School in Ealing last Tuesday, with the support from former and current cricket players, which included Mike Gatting, Saj Mahmood, Angus Fraser and Robbie White.
The centre, which is named after Middlesex cricket legend Wilf Slack, aims to bring to fruition a seven-year plan to help develop the next generation of cricket players.
Keir Smith, headteacher of Ada Lovelace High School and in charge of steering the project, said: “The opening of the Wilf Slack Cricket Centre is a special moment for the communities it will serve.
“Cricket is England’s summer sport, and the community spirit, teamwork, togetherness, and friendships that the game can create should never be overlooked.
“As a state school, we are extremely proud to be able to offer a first-class cricket facility that rivals anything else in the area, even in the private school sector, and we want this centre to be a shining example of what can be done in state schools with the right vision and the right partners in place.
“Our vision is for the centre to become a real community hub, a centre of excellence for the development of the next generation of cricketers and, in partnership with Middlesex Cricket, we look forward to the Wilf Slack Cricket Centre playing a leading role in this aim.”
Included within the centre are four indoor lanes, video technology and analysis, bowling machines, a coaching suite and gym facilities.
Middlesex Cricket’s director of participation, Katie Berry, said: “As a facility, the Wilf Slack Cricket Centre stands head and shoulders above anything else in the county.
“The term ‘state-of-the-art’ was made for this facility and with the shared vision we have with the team at Twyford Church of England Academies Trust, we know that this centre will become a vital hub for the local community.
“As well as driving additional benefits to the local community, Middlesex Cricket is extremely fortunate to be able to use the facility ourselves, and to be delivering our participation programmes in such an inspiring venue, as well as using it as a training base for a number of our representative squads, is amazing.”
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