SPORTS clubs will soon be allowed to 'officially' play matches at a Nailsea recreation ground on a Sunday - for the first time in more than half a century. Nailsea Town Council confirmed this week it has purchased the recreation land at The Grove for an u

SPORTS clubs will soon be allowed to 'officially' play matches at a Nailsea recreation ground on a Sunday - for the first time in more than half a century.Nailsea Town Council confirmed this week it has purchased the recreation land at The Grove for an undisclosed sum following years of delicate negotiations.Contracts have been exchanged and the deal is expected to complete later this month. The land used to belong to Holy Trinity Church and was managed by the Martyrs Memorial Trust.It was gifted to the church as part of a legacy in the 1930s and is currently leased to the Nailsea Playing Fields Association.A clause in the terms of the land being donated, stated no sports should be played on the land on a Sunday, although the covenant was never officially enforced.But as part of the sale agreement, the covenant has been lifted.The town council already owns the other half of The Grove playing fields.Nailsea Town Council chairman Marston Dufty said: "The negotiations to secure this land for the local community have been quite protracted. The town council is relieved we have now reached the end of the negotiations and the land is officially ours.