Essery is president of the Wingham Junior Cricket Club. He plays first grade with Wingham and is on a sub committee made up of members of the senior and junior clubs who are seeking avenues to improve the reserve.

Last week member for Myall Lakes Stephen Bromhead announced a $15,680 State government grant to build three nets at the field.

Currently the club uses nets at Wingham High School.

However, Essery says this is just the start.

"We've had an architect draw up plans for a clubhouse,'' he explained.

This would be built where the shade sails are currently situated. It would be a double storey structure.

Essery said the clubhouse will cost between $100,000 and $140,000 to build.

"We've already looked into funding and have the papers ready to apply for grants,'' he said.

However, he added both the junior and senior clubs have been fund raising for the project.

"The money we have would take a fair whack of it out,'' he said.

"We're not just going in with our hands out asking for money.''

Essery says the wicket at the Cedar Party Reserve is the best in this area and beyond.

"The curator who looks after the wicket at the Newcastle No 1 Sportsground was here two seasons ago for the Stan Austin Carnival,'' he said.

"He told us we have the best wicket from the SCG to the Gabba.''

Essery said further development of the ground would enable Wingham to host matches including inter-district finals. But looking further down the pitch, he would like to see Wingham the base for the State Country Carnival being played here.

"Matches would be played at other grounds in the area, like the Johnny Martin Oval,'' he said.

"But it we have the facilities we're aiming for, I think we'd be the main operating centre.''

He'd also hopes Wingham could host matches including current first class players, as was the case in the days of the Tooheys Cup.

Essery has travelled around the State in the last couple of seasons with his son, Hayden, for representative junior cricket.

"I've seen the facilities they have in places like Tamworth and Dubbo, and other places the size of Taree. They all have a cricket clubhouse, or cricket house,'' he said.

"In the Manning all we have is the Johnny Martin Oval, so I'd love to see Wingham having something that can match those other places,'' he said.

Essery described the Cedar Party precinct as 'Wingham's sporting Mecca,' with polocrosse, cricket, rugby league, soccer, go karts and touch football and rifle shooting all based there.

Wingham Cricket Club only moved to the reserve early last decade.

"When we started playing here it was a ground and a synthetic wicket. We ripped the synthetic up and established a turf wicket - Mick Stinson and Wayne Smoothy went to Sydney to do a course with curators to find out the right soil and grass to use.

"Now we have the money for the nets. So a clubhouse is our next goal.''