17-05-2025
Worcestershire CCC considered move away from historic home due to flooding
WORCESTERSHIRE County Cricket Club have revealed they considered moving away from their historic home due to repeated flooding.
The Pears, who have been based at New Road since 1896, were hit by eight floods over the 2024/25 winter period.
The club said the repeated flooding took a "huge toll" on the club, which is one of 18 major county clubs in the English and Welsh cricket scene.
Helen Grayer, head of operations at the club, said: "We have the most beautiful backdrop for a cricket club, being overlooked by the iconic Worcester Cathedral on the bank of the River Severn, and this has been our home since 1896.
"However, as the climate crisis continues to bring us unpredictable weather conditions, and floods continue to ravage our soil quality and financial resources, we really did have to consider moving our operations entirely to save the club."
The club said the flooding rendered the lift unusable, as water filled the underground lift pit and damaged the electrical cabling.
Mainmark Ground Engineering UK has now provided a solution to reinforce the club's flood infrastructure.
John McBey, business development manager at Mainmark, said: "Worcestershire County Cricket Club came to us with a unique challenge, one which required a good deal of problem-solving to find the right solution.
"We were very aware of the issues the club faced being on a major flood plain, and needed a solution that would help boost the longevity of the club.
"We have a wealth of experience in remedying subsidence issues because of flooding (where wash outs create voids in the ground underneath a structure, causing instability and damage).
"But sealing and waterproofing the lift's pit, to make it easier for water to be pumped out during periods of heavy rainfall, was a novel concept for us."
The project was completed in just three days, so that the lift could be made functional for the start of the 2025 cricket season.
Mr McBey added: "While we have little control over the cases of extreme weather, we feel it's important for our communities to start building resilience measures, future-proofing their infrastructure to boost longevity.
"Worcestershire County Cricket Club's demonstration of this is commendable, and we were pleased to play a small role in that."
