Students will be denied access to Trinity’s cricket pitch for the next month, with College Park set for closure from March 11th until April 21st so that Trinity can carry out “essential spring/summer maintenance” on the area.
In an email sent to all staff and students, Audrey O’Hare, the Administrative Services Manager of Estates and Facilities, apologised for any inconvenience caused as a result of the closure.
A map of College Park was attached to the email, marking out the large green area between the Ussher library and the Pav.
The closure could cause disruption to students, with the cricket pitch often a popular haunt in the spring and summer months, particularly given its proximity to the Pav.
In fine weather, it is common to see students gathered in large numbers around the edges of the pitch.
This is not the first time that the cricket pitch has been closed in recent years. Last June, Trinity also closed College Park for four weeks in order to carry out maintenance works, announcing the decision during one of the hottest weeks of the year.
College Park is the home of Trinity Women’s Soccer and Dublin University Association Football Club (DUAFC), as well as Trinity’s rugby club and both Dublin University Ladies Cricket Club (DULCC) and Dublin University Cricket Club (DUCC).
An agreement signed between Trinity and Leinster Cricket in April last year stipulated that College Park would play host to all Leinster youth and senior representative games. A full schedule of fixtures is set to be announced at some point this year, ahead of the commencement of the cricket season this summer.
In a press statement at the time, Deputy Head of Sport and Recreation Matthew Dossett said College was “delighted” at the agreement, which he said will “support the growth and development of the sport within Trinity and throughout Leinster”.
