A PUBLIC meeting will be held next week aimed at bringing village cricket back to Poppleton after an absence of 45 years.

Talks have already taken place with City of York Council about acquiring land for the cricket ground and the move has the support of the Yorkshire Cricket Board and local Parish councils.

The old club was disbanded in 1971 but, in recent years, there have been growing calls for a new club to be formed with players of all ages joining clubs in surrounding areas.

Stuart Robson, chairman of Upper Poppleton Parish Council, said: "It has been decided that it is time to re-invent a cricket club in Poppleton. Eventually, Poppleton CC would like to join the thriving junior cricket leagues for all age groups in the York and District Junior Cricket Association.

"When the club is established and the junior section for both boys and girls is up and running, the plan is to extend it to accommodate senior teams," he said. "It is hoped that there will be sufficient support to get Poppleton CC started. A draft constitution will be available for approval and, that being so, to elect a committee to take this exciting project forward.

"A steering group has had discussions about acquiring some land to form a cricket ground and hopefully there should be some good news soon," he added.

Rachel Hildreth, a community cricket coach from YCB, and a resident of Upper Poppleton, has arranged for junior indoor coaching to take place at Poppleton's Community Centre during the school holidays.

All are invited to attend the the public meeting which starts at 7pm on Wednesday July 6 at the Community Centre on Main Street, Upper Poppleton.