Last March the committee of the Wingham Cricket Club with the assistance of member for Myall Lakes Stephen Bromhead was successful in obtaining a grant from the Department of Sport and Recreation for $15,680 to construct a synthetic three cricket net facility. The club matched this grant with both financial and material sponsorship, volunteer work and fundraising activities.

Dennis Smith presided over the official opening with professionalism and good humour and welcomed the audience of 80 people consisting of invited guests, club life members and players and families. Dennis recounted that the reserve has a long sporting history it was once a racetrack, hockey fields, football field, and the first Wingham golf course, before it became the home ground for Wingham Cricket Club. The building of the cricket nets has been an aspiration of the cricket club for some time, led by a committee that is enthusiastic to develop Cedar Party Cricket Reserve into a facility that will be able to host inter district and zone carnivals as well as support the local cricketing and broader Wingham communities.

Mr Bromhead congratulated the club on their success and expressed his ongoing support for sporting facilities in the area.

Wingham CC president Michael Stinson was hailed as the project leader who put in an extraordinary effort running every aspect of the works.

Mick acknowledged the support of major contributors and presented certificates of appreciation to Stephen Bromhead, Greater Taree City Council, Manning River District Cricket Association, Manning Junior Cricket Association, Australian Hotel, Manning Freight Distributors, Wingham Beef Exports, Blue's Excavators, Manning River Steel, Holicim Cement, Manning Valley Tomatoes. Life members Neville Bell and Les Gibson were acknowledged for their contribution to the club and Les gave an impromptu and moving speech about the earlier days of cricket, fundraising activities to build the club and the camaraderie of cricket.

Mick thanked and acknowledged the efforts of the team of fantastic volunteers who gave up afternoons and weekends to make the nets a reality. This included planning out the whole project and breaking it up into stages, levelling out the site, cutting and setting out the poles, setting out the concrete, laying the synthetic grass, putting up the wire and putting up the conveyor belts - this has resulted in a first rate high quality set of cricket nets.

The nets were then officially opened by Wayne Smoothy (most senior registered player) Stephen Bromhead and Angus Abbott (youngest registered player), who cut the ceremonial ribbon simultaneously.