The Amwell Valley Cricket Club is searching for a new cricket field. The club currently rents a parcel of land from the Hillsborough County Club.
HILLSBOROUGH TWP. -- The Amwell Valley Cricket Club is searching for a new cricket field. The club is the only cricket club in New Jersey that plays on a grass pitch.
For the last few years, the cricket club has been playing at the Hillsborough Country Club on the end of a driving range converted into a cricket field.
Quintus Joubert, a member of the club, said cricket fields around the world mostly use grass pitches, sometimes called wickets, but in the Northeast grass wickets are rare.
The wicket consists of a strip in the center of the field that is used to bowl to the batsman. Joubert said most clubs don't play on grass wickets because of the amount of maintenance required to keep the grass alive and the ground level.
The cricket club began their search for a new location after they were notified that the Hillsborough Country Club could possibly be sold in the future.
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A representative from the country club said nothing has been decided, and they are exploring all their options. The cricket club will be able to stay until the end of the season.
The club is hoping to relocate their team to a different grass field in the area through partnering with a municipality to create a new field or share another sports field, like a soccer field.
Cricket fields are about the size of a baseball field, but are in an oval shape instead of a diamond.
The Amwell Valley Cricket Club plays teams from New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Joubert said the team is run by volunteers, and features a combination of players from several different countries, including India, Canada, Great Britain and South Africa.
Angela Lingg may be reached at alingg@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @angela_lingg. Find NJ.com on Facebook.