TOWN Council references to the "cricket pitch" area in Dog Hill Wood have left some local residents scratching their heads as to what the town council might mean, and this has caused a lively debate on social media.

Some local people in their seventies, who have lived in Ledbury all their lives, said they had never known the area of green open space in Dog Hill Wood, a beauty spot which is owned by the town council, referred to as 'the cricket pitch'.

The debate arose following a report that the town council had decided to install "two picnic benches, one disabled access picnic bench and one metal lined bin on the 'cricket pitch' in Dog Hill Wood."

The improvements will be funded from reserves, so they can go ahead this year, and the money will be paid back in the next financial year, 2017/18.

Speaking at the last full town council meeting, in community hall, the chairman of the town's environment and leisure committee, Cllr Martin Eager, said the idea was to create a "family friendly space".

But the question is, what do you call it?

Writing during the debate on Facebook, local resident, Maureen Hillier said: " I am seventy two and lived here all of my life and I have never heard of it being called the cricket pitch."

And she was by no means alone.

Local resident, Janet Meredith said: " I shared this with the Old Ledbury Group; the majority seem to believe it was called 'The Green', and that The Paddock was next to it."

But other longstanding Ledbury residents had heard of the area being called the cricket pitch, all adding to the mystery.

Rosie Blandford said: "I've always known it as the cricket pitch; lived here 40 years."

And Suzanne Soo Phillips said: "I grew up in Upperfields and we always knew it as the cricket pitch."

There were 25 comments on the Voice of Ledbury, after the Ledbury Reporter story about the planned improvements was posted there, and the majority of people seemed not to have heard of 'the cricket pitch' name for the green open space.

However, there is no doubt that the town council has a long tradition of calling it the cricket pitch.

In April 2002, there was a report in the Ledbury Reporter that "the Town Council has asked the police to keep an eye on anti-social behaviour in Dog Hill Wood. Bottles have been smashed in the area known locally as the cricket pitch and fires have also been lit".

In an echo of present day plans for improvements, the report also stated: "Councillors hope to put more litter bins in the wood, possibly second hand ones, as has been the practice in the past. Town clerk June McQuaid said that this situation had came about because bins had been badly treated in the wood over the years".