PA Sports New Indoor Centre

A mill building offers space but little else that suits cricket: low ceilings, an unforgiving floor, and a footprint that was never laid out for playing lanes. PA Sports wanted a centre that would take lane bookings and support a bowling machine and video analysis, which meant the space had to work commercially as well as technically.

Our installation team made a site visit before any work began, meeting club members, identifying the likely problems and planning the logistics. On a building like this that visit does most of the heavy lifting — it is where the bay configuration and netting layout get decided.

The build started with shock padding beneath the playing surface. It protects the facility itself, spreading load and slowing the deterioration of the foundations underneath, but its real value is to the players.

The cushioning effect reduces stress on joints and muscles during play, particularly through the knees and ankles, which take the most punishment in an indoor centre where sessions are long and the floor is unforgiving.

Over the shock pad we laid our DuraTuft non-turf surface, a tufted system built for indoor cricket rather than adapted to it.

Paired with the pad beneath, DuraTuft gives the traction and stability players need for genuine bowling and batting practice, and stands up to the intensity of a centre running back-to-back bookings. Laying it as a complete system rather than a surface alone is what delivers consistent ball behaviour down every lane.

Spatial constraints led us to a 2×2 net configuration across four bays. We identified and marked secure attachment points in the ceiling, anchored them to carry the weight of the netting, then suspended, stretched and fastened the nets to hold their shape.

The layout gives clear three-metre-wide batting lanes with a designated bowling area, making the most of the available floor while working around ceilings lower than a purpose-built centre would have.

Each lane was marked out using our specialised white paint, chosen for quick drying and resistance to friction so the lines survive regular use.

The facility was then thoroughly cleaned, with hoovering to clear debris and dust and the final scaffolding removed. Our warehouse and offices are over three hours away, which made the delivery of this one down to the team’s efficiency on site.

Explore the moment PA Sports hosted their grand opening ceremony for their brand new indoor cricket centre. The Durant Cricket team turned the previously unused space into a brand new and lively cricket hub.

You can design your own indoor cricket centre online with our facility builder, and see how the lanes, netting and surfacing come together before you speak to anyone: durantindoorcricketcentrebuilder.durantsports.co.uk

Every installation we have completed is plotted on our map. Tick Indoor Surfacing to see the rest: installations.durantcricket.co.uk