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By Liam Verster

Cricket Pitch Approved

Approval granted for cricket pitch in Vernon

Mar 25, 2025 | 2:06 PM

Cricketers will have a place to play in the North Okanagan.

At the regular meeting Monday, March 24, Vernon city council was presented with a proposal to approve the installation of a cricket pitch at the DND grounds, and to provide up to $30,000 for its construction.

The playing field would be artificial turf on top of a concrete pad.

City staff told council that the DND grounds was selected as the site for the playing field as it would have low impact to the current users since matches would go on Sundays when there weren’t other user groups booking the area fields.

“We have reached out to the recreation booking group and we have looked at the past two years for bookings on Sunday and that hasn’t been used,” Larissa Price, Vernon’s manager of Park Projects and Community Initiatives, told council Monday.

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“While we have not reached out [directly] to past user groups in regards to this, [the booking group] has mentioned that cricket will have to fall in line with other, more established groups first.”

The request for the $30,000 from the city’s Parks Reserve would be used to cover the costs of the environmental permit process, supplies and materials, and construction. Price noted the city and the cricketers were working together to explore the feasibility of having a batting cage at the park, or at another location, as well.

Council voted unanimously in favour of approving the installation of the cricket pitch at the DND grounds and to provide $30,000 for the construction.

Vernon’s Mayor said cricket is becoming more and more popular in Vernon and the North Okanagan, and building this playing field will allow for even more growth in the sport.

“Cricket is going to really emerge here,” Mayor Victor Cumming told Vernon Matters.

“There are cricket teams in other communities in the valley and into the Shuswap and Kamloops, and we’re going to begin to see cricket on a regular basis as soon as we get our bowling area built and cricket can start to be played here in Vernon.”

A timeline for when the cricket pitch would be built was not provided.

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