A TAMESIDE cricket club hopes its new facility can bowl people over and help it grow.
Members at Mottram have painstakingly renovated the clubhouse as they seek to attract a new influx.
And it is hoped the impact can be felt on the wicket at the Greater Manchester Cricket Legue club, as well as off it.
Led by Nigel Corless, Julie Crudden and Michael Beech, the facility at the Broadbottom Road site has undergone a complete transformation.
A grant of £7,500 from the Cheshire Cricket Board helped the volunteers work their magic.
Now a modern space, it has a new ceiling and completely new floor. Fresh furnishings also give it a fresh look after months of hard work.
Nigel said: “We got £7,500 in grants but there were club funds used as well. In total, it’s cost about £12,000.
“And it gives that good impression to anyone who just comes in, those who may not be associated with the club.
“We’ve already seen a rise in interest for use for gatherings and parties in recent weeks and the hope is it will be used more.
“That would bring in more revenue so that we can invest more on the cricket side and more on the club side as well.
“At the moment, it’s just a constant battle. It’s a balancing act, isn’t it?
“And the money has to be used for what you said it would be used for in the application. I couldn’t say, ‘Yeah, we’ve got £7,500. We’re going to buy a new wicket roller.’
“And the whole point is that it’s building the cub for future generations.
“In total, there’s probably six or eight of us that have worked on it. My mate, Gary, and I did the ceiling but we got a flooring contractor in, an electrician for the lights and I’ve got a spray company in to spray the ceiling.
“I’ve just project managed it, to be honest with you, but I’ve obviously got involved in it. The club has been very much behind this idea.
“Now it’s a case of getting the new clubhouse used as much of we can.
“We have five senior teams – four men’s and a women’s – which in only its second season reached the cup final, and we have under-9s, 11s, 13, 15s, 18s and a girls’ team.
“All junior sessions are run by a dedicated team of qualified coaches.”
Mottram CC may have several others on its doorstep but better facilities give it a better chance of tapping into surrounding areas.
“There’s the back end of Stalybridge there, a big area,” Nigel added. “On a Friday night, we have 50 to 60 kids training.
“It’s very busy. Hopefully this can make it even busier.”
Mottram CC is holding a Get Set Weekend on Saturday, April 5 and Sunday, April 6 to ensure the club and facilities are ready and positively sparkling for the first games of the season.
Jobs include painting, pressure washing and prepping ground sheets to clearing out the scorehut .
Nigel told The Correspondent: “Any volunteers can come.
“It’ll be things like finishing painting the woodwork off in the clubhouse, tidying the dressing rooms and sorting the kitchen out – more of it will be ground-based.”
*ANYONE interested in lending Mottram Cricket Club a hand on April 5 or 6 – or any different day – is asked to email mottramcricket@gmail.com.
Work will be starting at about 10am.