BARTESTREE and Lugwardine Cricket Club have benefitted from a grant to improve catering facilities at the club.

In the year of a home Cricket World Cup a fund has been launched by the English Cricket Board with at least the first 2,000 affiliated clubs who register, having the opportunity to receive £1,000 to help digitise or upgrade catering facilities.

The funding is to help clubs install broadband, boost their clubhouse’s audio-visual capabilities, or transform their catering facilities.

Bartestree and Lugwardine CC have successfully received the grant and have put the money to good use, upgrading their catering facilities.

Club Secretary Nigel Shore said: "Last summer we built a new wooden shack to house a professional barbecue and we will use this as a base for outdoor catering during our junior training and match evenings.

"However, we still needed a fridge to keep food fresh and drinks cool, so this is one of the items to be covered by the grant.

"As well as that, we are using the grant to buy a glass-washing machine for the main clubhouse. This will make it much faster and easier for volunteers to serve large numbers of customers at the bar, and will improve hygiene. Electric cabling and plumbing work is also included in the grant."

The ECB are encouraging clubs to register as a Cricket World Cup Club and host a social event that will bring together existing members and attract new people of all ages to enjoy the club's facilities.