New Inverdee cricket pitches opened by Jack Nixon

A legend of north-east cricket and The Press and Journal has hailed the opening of new cricket pitches at Inverdee.

Jack Nixon, The P&J’s longstanding cricket and rugby correspondent, was given the honour of cutting the ceremonial ribbon on Tuesday evening.

Two new artificial pitches have been laid at Inverdee following work by North East Cricket Scotland (NECS) and Sport Aberdeen, with Aberdeen City Council’s Common Good Fund and the Cricket Scotland Development Trust providing financial support.

Nixon, who is set to retire from his role as a P&J correspondent at the end of the season, said: “This is a big occasion for a sport with already nearly 200 years of history in the north-east.

“Cricket Scotland, NECS and Aberdeen City Council are all to be congratulated for promoting the initiative.

“I just hope in a 100 years, the same organisations will be celebrating the many runs scored and wickets taken, and that the Press and Journal will be there to record the event.

“It was a great pleasure to declare Inverdee open for the pleasure and enjoyment of generations of cricketers to come.”

Facilities important

NECS president Brian Lynas is keen to continue upgrading the facilities at Inverdee  – with plans for a third pitch and further amenities in the pipeline.

He added: “It’s important to keep trying to improve facilities. Right now we only have the two pitches down.

“Going forward, we’d like to put in a small pavilion and nets which would be beneficial going forward, particularly with the juniors.

“We’ve got a lot of youngsters taking up the game and we want to grow our capacity to help bring through more young players.”

Reflecting on Nixon’s contribution to north-east cricket, Lynas said: “From my perspective, Jack has been enormously supportive.

“He’s very knowledgeable about the game. He brings a warmth and humanity to it all.

“Above all he’s got a great love for the game.

“I’ve always found Jack incredibly easy to get on with.

“He’s done the game a great service with his promotion of it and he’ll be sorely missed when he retires.”