Rishit Agnihotri

An unused baseball field in Ken Mercer park will be removed to make space for a cricket pitch.

Cricket fans in Pleasanton are excited as the plans of a new cricket pitch in the city is getting closer to construction. Set to finish in spring of 2024, this field will be a delightful addition to the community of Pleasanton.

“For so long, cricket has been a really popular sport in Pleasanton. I am a big fan of playing cricket but it’s a problem that there isn’t really a great field in Pleasanton to play it,” said Soham Belgal(‘25). 

For many cricket lovers in Pleasanton, the reality is playing in poorly cut grassy fields, basketball courts, and tennis courts all across parks. 

“It’s disappointing because there’s really not many cricket grounds in Tri Valley. So most players here have to go to Fremont or Milpitas in order to play a proper match on proper surfaces,” said Arush Mehta(‘25). 

After persuasion by many fans across the area, the Pleasanton City Council began development of removing an unused baseball field in the Ken Mercer’s Sports Park and transforming it into a cricket pitch.

“Sure enough, we have a cricket field coming. It’s called a cricket pitch and will be over at the Ken Mercer sports park. We’re converting a rarely used baseball field over to a cricket pitch, which is about half a million dollars, so it is a significant change. We planted the grass and it should be running this spring,” said Pleasanton Mayer Karla Brown. 

Cricket has always been a fan favorite sport in the Bay Area for a long time and it wasn’t going to be long before more cricket pitches were being made. 

“I think the new addition of the cricket field is going to have a great impact on cricket lovers and it will definitely receive positive feedback. It’s great that there will finally be a place where my friends and I can play cricket together,” said Belgal. 

As for competitive players, this new cricket pitch will drastically improve previous issues, as well as benefit local cricket teams in the Tri-Valley by offering a ground to practice. 

“I feel excited, really. Especially if it’s a good field, because then travel time will be down for competitive players. I’m going to have to play there myself and see how good it is,” said Mehta.