PETERSFIELD Cricket Club has successfully raised approximately £100,000 of funding to upgrade and modernise facilities and the pavilion at the Heath.

A hugely significant £75,000 was awarded as a share of National Lottery funding from Sport England, which has contributed towards the sporting legacy of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games through its Inspired Facilities fund.

This fund has been helping sports clubs breathe new life into community sports facilities and converting existing buildings into venues suitable for grassroots sport.

The club, founded in 1751, has been sited at the Heath for more than 150 years and will receive £75,000 of National Lottery funding to upgrade its pavilion. New changing rooms, a social area, showers and toilets, including facilities for people with disabilities, will be installed in the 1970s building.

Club chairman James Stratford-Tuke said: “We are delighted to have secured this investment, and this is an exciting step in our plan to upgrade our facilities. It not only means that we can modernise our premises to match the quality of our senior players, colts and coaches, but it will help us move forward to recruit new members, especially women and the disabled, and to work more closely with the local community.

“We will now be working hard to deliver this project as soon as we can. This award will enable the club to move to a new level to provide high quality cricket and facilities to Petersfield.”