Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club could soon take on a 25-year lease of the cricket facilities at West Park in West Bridgford under a new proposal being considered by Rushcliffe Borough Council.
The arrangement, which is due before the council’s Cabinet on 14 October, would make the historic ground a central base for women’s, girls’, and community cricket in Rushcliffe, while keeping West Bridgford Legion Cricket Club as a key partner.
The proposal follows an approach from Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club (NCCC) to expand its use of West Park as part of a wider plan to grow participation and create a strong pathway for women’s and girls’ cricket. The partnership would also align with both the council’s 2021–2027 Leisure Strategy and its recently adopted Sport and Tourism Charter, which aim to make Rushcliffe a leading sporting destination and to strengthen links with elite sports organisations such as NCCC.
Under the plan, NCCC would lease the main cricket facilities, including the grass and artificial wickets, the practice nets and the sports pavilion, and would take responsibility for bookings, maintenance of utilities and the running of the pavilion. The council would continue to maintain the wider park – including the Sir Julien Cahn Pavilion, tennis courts, play area and car park – for general community use. A two-year break clause would be included in the lease to provide flexibility for both parties.
West Park’s cricket ground was founded in 1925–26 by philanthropist Sir Julien Cahn and became famous in the early 20th century for hosting his Cahn XI against visiting sides including the West Indies and South Americans. First-class matches were played there in 1935, and women’s regional cricket also featured during that period. Today, the site includes a ten-wicket grass square, an artificial wicket, five-lane enclosed practice nets and a refurbished pavilion.
The West Bridgford Legion Cricket Club currently calls the ground home, fielding adult men’s teams and junior players aged 5–11. Under the proposed lease, NCCC would enter into a service level agreement to guarantee the club the same level of access it currently enjoys.
The new partnership is expected to bring major benefits to local cricket. It would support the full pathway from junior to academy level, including boys’ cricket up to under-16s, women’s and girls’ development, disability cricket through the Super 1s programme, the African-Caribbean engagement initiative ACE, and an LGBTQ+ team which would base itself at West Park. The arrangement would also help attract future funding from Sport England and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
Over the past two years, the council and NCCC have already secured more than £180,000 of investment for the site. This includes £10,000 from the ECB for a replacement artificial wicket, £163,000 for a new five-lane practice facility, and direct contributions from NCCC for a digital scoreboard and boundary rope. The professional input of NCCC’s grounds team, who maintain the pitches at Trent Bridge, would further improve playing standards at West Park.
If approved, the lease would see the council continue to cover routine maintenance and grounds care while NCCC manages day-to-day cricket operations. The club has also pledged to make greater use of the Sir Julien Cahn Pavilion for paid bookings, contributing to the council’s income targets. Some underused pavilion rooms currently used for storage would be returned to sporting use.
Alternative options were assessed, including keeping management in-house, but the report concludes that the facilities are underused despite a local shortfall of more than 100 cricket match sessions each season in the West Bridgford and Ruddington area. Officers say NCCC is best placed to drive participation and investment. Recreational evening cricket would move to Gresham Sports Park, which has its own ECB-funded artificial wicket, to make space for the new programmes.