The Greerton Cricket Club is a stalwart of the Tauranga South community – 51 years, not out.

The improvements taking place at Pemberton Park, the club’s home ground, means it can enjoy many more years and continue to nurture upcoming junior players — numbers of which are increasing by the year.

GCC President Ben Lind said they were looking forward to better conditions for both cricket and football when the improvements were complete.

“The ground should be hard-wearing, and the long-term outcomes are really good for the GCC and the Blue Rovers Football Club, who we share a clubroom with.”

While the cricket club has to relocate to Fergusson Park for the upcoming season so the improvements can be made, Lind said it would be worth it in the long run.

His thoughts were echoed by GCC treasurer and junior cricket coordinator Dave Kawan, who was pleased the addition of an artificial wicket at the lower end of Pemberton Park meant junior teams could continue to train at Pemberton Park this season.

“We have around 200 members and relocating for the season has made us think more holistically about our game. We’re going from strength to strength and the new field drainage system and sports turf, along with a more resilient turf cover, will certainly benefit us in the long run.”

Tauranga City Council spaces and places manager Alison Law said new sports field lighting would be installed at Pemberton Park, to provide GCC and the Blue Rovers extended hours of play.

“We understand that being without a home ground for a season has its challenges. Thankfully, both GCC and the Blue Rovers have been very understanding and share our vision to improve the park so everyone can enjoy better facilities and more hours of use.

“As one of New Zealand’s fastest growing cities, there is increasing pressure on the available sports spaces we have in Tauranga. These upgrades to Pemberton Park are one of the ways we’re optimising our existing sites as we’re limited by how much more land can be opened up to meet the increasing community demand for sport, events and green space in our city.”

Part of Pemberton Park is now closed until April 2025. The rear of the park can still be accessed from Yatton St and Pemberton Cres.

For more information, please visit Tauranga.govt.nz/pembertonpark