The Hawks’ club-funded pitch at Russell Square is rolled and ready for action, just in time for the final round in the Ballarat Cricket Association season.

East will give its top team billing for the historic opening on Saturday, with the Hawks to host traditional heavyweight Wendouree in the first of a two-day game.

While the Hawks will miss finals in the BCA club firsts, they are determined to exit the season leaving plenty of sting.

Hawks captain Brad Whittaker said it was an honour to lead the club on the new pitch that has been 20 years in the making.

“This is home for us,” Whittaker said. “The club is now centred on one spot. It’s fantastic.

“A lot of people have worked hard for a long time to get this to happen and for us to finally be playing on it in the first game is an honour.”

East Ballarat’s primary turf home has been East High since joining the Maryborough district competition in 1983-84 and entering Ballarat A-grade cricket from 1986-87.

The club was founded as Millbrook in in 1932-33. Norm Shearer poured a concrete hard wicket on his land, across the road from the Millbrook school, in what was a cow paddock.

The Hawks’ original pitch is now buried in a cow paddock, but the club has sourced a piece of the original concrete from that pitch.

The Hawks will unveil a Norm Shearer Turf Wicket Foundation board with the Shearer’s family flying in from Western Australia for a formal function in the Russell Square clubrooms on Saturday.

They too will be presented a token piece of Norm’s original cement pitch.

East Ballarat president Peter Davie said the club had received fantastic support from Russell Square’s varied user-groups, including soccer, junior football, touch football and Ballarat cricket umpires.

The Hawks have extended an open invitation to celebrate the pitch opening at Russell Square from 11.30am on Sunday.