Sportsground ready for opening round of 2023-24 Bathurst Orange Inter District Cricket season

The newly renovated facility will be available for use after final touches were recently completed, meaning the ground will be ready to host the opening round of the Bathurst Orange Inter District Cricket competition on October 6.

The Sportsground underwent a $1.3 million dollar renovation, with work on the ground starting in late 2021, and is set to become the city's home of cricket.

Bathurst District Cricket Association (BDCA) president Steve Cain is hoping that the ground will be ready in time for the opening match, in just under a month.

"We're hoping the grass grows where we've put the new drainage system on top of the pitch," he said.

"The ground has undergone an extensive amount of work... all of the layers were taken off the pitch, new drainage throughout the field, the new concrete path around the outside of the playing area."

The grand project is far from complete, as the BDCA are hoping for upgraded lights in an effort to potentially host first class and Big Bash League matches in the future.

"We're trying to get further grants to make the lights adequate," Cain added.

The inaugural match on the ground will be used to mark the opening round of the 2023-24 BOIDC season, where Rugby Union and Bathurst City will face off to make history as the first winners on the new Sportsground.

Cain is hopeful that the works at the Sportsground will be just the first stage of new developments for the sport in Bathurst, with a proposal for a cricket academy on the cards.

"We're working on things, a couple of dedicated people in Bathurst are working on a grant," he said.

"Hopefully we'll see some progress in the future."

A new white picket fence has given the ground a new, aesthetically pleasing look.

The reconstruction of the turf wicket provides cricketers in the Central West the opportunity to play on a state of the art pitch, with a new couch outfield.

The removal of the asphalt bike track has increased the playing area, meaning it reaches the requirements of regional and higher level competitions.