$120,000 project could be completed by fall
By FRANK LANDRY,
Victoria Park is George Robinson’s field of dreams.
The head of the Edmonton and District Cricket League hopes planned upgrades to two cricket pitches at the river valley park will help attract international tournaments to the city.

At the very least, top-notch facilities will help make local players more competitive, he said.
“It moves us to where we’ll be playing to conditions similar to those used in international games,” said Robinson.
“Hopefully we can have an international game here one day in Edmonton.”
The feds went to bat for the 400-player league Wednesday, pledging about $37,000 to help with improvements to the park.
The two cricket pitches are slated to have their stone surfaces replaced with natural grass turf late this summer — the standard for top-end fields.
“That’s dinosaur stuff,” Robinson said, pointing at the existing pitches.
“Playing on natural turf as compared to what we play on now is a completely different game.” He said that puts local players at a disadvantage.
Robinson said the project — with an overall budget of $120,000 — may be completed as early as this fall.
Edmonton MP Laurie Hawn also pledged $15,000 to the Alberta Schools Cricket Association to help build another pitch at Coronation Park.

Hawn said 100 schools across the province already participate in cricket programs. He said the cash will promote sport, fitness and community involvement.