total-play: Darwen Dome, inflatable covers and grammar school nets

In this autumn round-up with total-play Ltd, we’ll look at a hat-trick of milestones as projects were completed by the installer of ECB-approved facilities.

Grassroots first at Darwen Dome

A second all-weather cricket facility, designed and built by total-play Ltd, has been unveiled in Lancashire. It follows the success of the debut project at Bradford Park Avenue which has seen massive community use ever since.

The Darwen Dome is based at Darwen Cricket Club and is a three-lane outdoor cricket facility with a roof to extend its use across the whole year. Whether it’s nets, indoor sessions, matches or communal events, the flexibility of The Cricket Shield™ illustrates it’s more than a dome.

With playing demand at grassroots needing innovative solutions, this latest project will be vital in helping to shape the future of the game and encouraging inclusion.

The sheer diversity of teams, games and attendees at Bradford shows what’s possible and at Darwen, part of the excitement is how the dome will connect with 13 state schools to give easy access to cricket for children in the North West.

Cricket covers for clubs and schools

One of the lesser-known realities of cricket covers (unless you do it) is the challenge of grappling with them. Speed is of the essence when getting pitch covers out in wet conditions, back off to get the game on or at the end of a day.

In the above video, High Wycombe Cricket Club ordered a 24m x 40m cricket pitch cover from total-play Ltd that has a 25m inflation tube.

The cricket pitch experts sell Cricket Pitch Covers of various sizes and the addition of an inflation tube for cricket covers adds speed and efficiency.

It can be deployed – or put away – in a matter of minutes by one or two groundstaff at a club ground. Swansea village side Ynystawe Cricket Club are one such example who’ve improved their grounds equipment for the 2026 season.

total-play delivered a 30m x 24m CGS Rain Cover, together with Inflation Tube, and they can now enjoy their affordable, high-performance wicket cover which is trusted by hundreds of clubs from grassroots to first-class stadiums.

Crossley Heath School welcomes nets upgrade

West Yorkshire grammar Crossley Heath School are celebrating their new three-lane practice nets facility, built to total-play’s ECB-approved tp5t non-turf system design.

With premium quality tufted carpets, full-width shock pad system to both batting and bowling ends, there are also options for carpet colours and contrasting ’Stump Lines’ training aids.

This low-maintenance, high-performance cricket nets installation includes market-leading warranties and is eligible for ECB funding.

The first cricket nets at Crossley Heath were built by students around 1910 and there have been various iterations since with this new facility marking a fresh chapter in terms of quality and scale.

Thanks to the generosity of local businesses and alumni including former students David Briggs and James Kirkham, who run The Big Six Inn, there is now a dedicated place to coach and practice for all ages and abilities that will blend fun with professionalism. The outdoor nets will also be available to hire for the local community.

Becky Worthington, the school’s development lead, said: “The new cricket facility is both a celebration of our sporting heritage and a vital step towards building the infrastructure our students need to thrive — on the pitch, in the classroom, and in the wider community.”

She shared these thoughts on how the project has gone from their perspective: “Our experience working with total-play was excellent. The whole procurement and construction process was smooth and professional, and we’re absolutely delighted with the end result. The nets were even completed well ahead of schedule, which was a fantastic bonus – we couldn’t be happier with how the project has turned out.”

Clubs and schools looking for outdoor cricket nets solutions can get advice from total-play Ltd on what’s possible as their long-time expertise in cricket includes funding advice, design considerations and installation.

Contact total-play

If your cricket club would like to discuss cricket nets projects, contact Anthony Burton via [email protected] or you can visit total-play.co.uk.

Other services include match pitches, support with grass renovations and cricket MUGAs.

To read more articles, case studies and interviews with clubs, check out our total-play Hub here on Cricket Yorkshire.

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