Eagles are allowed to keep their Oval perch

– Paul Pickering
CRANBOURNE Football Club breathed a collective sigh of relief on Tuesday night as City of Casey councillors opted against kicking the club off the main oval at Casey Fields.
A report compiled by council officer Trevor Griffin and presented at Tuesday night’s meeting recommended that Cranbourne be transferred to Oval No. 2 in a bid to protect the surface on the main ground, which is also used by the Casey Scorpions and Melbourne Football Club.
But that recommendation was rejected by the councillors, who, for now, remain confident that the ground can accommodate all three clubs next winter.
Cranbourne president Gerry Kelly, who described the initial recommendation as surprising and “gut-wrenching”, thanked the councillors and said the decision was a welcome reprieve for the club.
“We want to stay on Oval 1,” he said on Wednesday.
“That’s the aim of the Cranbourne Football Club and all my members, and I’m very confident that we’ll be able to do that.” The councillors agreed to fund $125,000 worth of measures aimed at improving the condition of the main oval, including resurfacing the centre corridor and upgrading the venue’s drainage and irrigation systems.
That work is expected to begin next month.