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Little league getting new field near Byrd Park

The great baseball debate is finally over, and Richmond is getting a new ball field.

After more than a year of public discussion, the issue is settled and a new field is slated to replace an existing one north of the James River. If all goes according to plan, the first excited, wide-eyed ballplayers will trot to their positions next spring. It might take an additional year to work out the logistics, but there's no stopping this plan now.

It's not quite the pros, but don't tell the kids.

This field is theirs.

Richmond Little League's machine-pitch players -- those ages 7-9 -- will finally be getting their own field.

Thanks to a partnership between Richmond Little League and Richmond Public Schools, the field will take shape behind John B. Cary Elementary School. The school is across the street from the Byrd Park site of the baseball league's other fields. "We looked at a lot of fields to renovate, and Cary was the best prospect," said Lynnie K. Brugh, a partner at the Williams Mullen law firm and the president of the league. "We see the future, and we need to create some space."

The little league has about 500 players ranging from T-ballers to juniors, and Brugh said the biggest growth in recent years has been among the younger age groups.

The Cary field, combined with an ongoing project to craft T-ball fields next to the tennis courts at Byrd Park, will allow the league to have dedicated fields for each age group.

The league is financing the project, which will transform the rudimentary diamond already in place into a game-worthy field.

The league will get use of the facility during its season -- evenings and weekends from March through May -- and the school system will get it the rest of the time. The little league also has agreed to maintain the field.

"It's a win-win situation," said George P. Braxton II, the chairman of the School Board and the parent of a Richmond Little League player. "Our students will be able to use the fields, and, hopefully, it'll open up an opportunity for the league to grow."
Contact Zachary Reid at (804) 775-8179 or zreid@timesdispatch.com.