YOUNGSTERS officially opened Ansty Cricket Club’s new ground with a big name in the crowd.

Sussex County Cricket Club’s chief executive Zac Toumazi joined the club to celebrate a key stage in an ambitious development programme with the opening of its new North Ground at Deaks Lane in Ansty. The new ground provides the club with six additional fine turf pitches and an artificial pitch. The facilities allow the club to increase the number of games on the site. Mr Toumazi visited the club for the evening to see the traditional Friday night practice session for the colts and a competitive game between the Under-15 girls and Under-13 boys on the new ground. He told the 250 club members that he had taken a close interest in the project since his arrival at Sussex, having seen the work on the new ground in its early stages 18 months ago. Shaun Janman, the Ansty Cricket Club chairman, said: “We are delighted that Zac Toumazi could make time in his busy schedule to come along and celebrate the official opening with us. “The new North Ground represents the achievement of a long held ambition to bring the majority of our cricket onto the Deaks Lane site and reduce our dependence on satellite grounds.

“Aside from playing cricket in a magnificent location, it allows the club to improve the quality of pitches for colts and girls’ cricket and to deliver a more integrated cricket programme. “We we are on track to introduce 3rd XI league cricket on fine turf pitches in 2015.

“Our thanks go to Brian Fletcher, the Ansty groundsman, who masterminded the project. “I would also like to thank West Sussex County Council and the Spen Cama Fund. We are also indebted to club sponsors Citipost and Seed Services, as well as Carillion Plc.

“However, we would not have been in this position without the work undertaken by club volunteers over the winter weekends, particularly on the outfield, and these club members can truly say this is their ground.”

The club has further plans to redevelop its changing facilities on the recreation ground site, working in partnership with the Ansty Sports and Social Club, the Ansty Village Hall Trust, the Parish Council and site owners Mid Sussex District Council.

Mr Fletcher, the groundsman, said: “The new cricket ground is the first step in an ambitious project to build a new village centre, improve the parking on the site and relocate the cricket nets.”