Clayton are bowled over by their new pavilion after over a year’s work on the project.

Initial improvements to the club’s facilities were made in 2005 as part of their switch to the Halifax Central League, including the installation of a new score box and upgrading the shower room.

Chairman John Brook says he is pleased with the newest introduction of the pavilion – but it has not come without its challenges. Brook said: “The pavilion is virtually finished now. There’s still a bit of work to do inside but we’ve been planning it for some time.

“I’ve been involved at the club for 50 years and I never thought I’d see it come about.

“When we first started in the early 1950, the facilities were nothing like they are now – we had sheep grazing on the field! You couldn’t really call them pavilions in those days, they were just huts.

“It takes an awful lot of faith when you’re confronted with a project like this. The decision to go ahead with it was taken by our committee in February last year and it’s been all action since then.

“The old building was pulled down on October 8 and we were about eight weeks behind schedule at one point. We’ve been so heavily involved, it’s been a shock to have to think about playing cricket again.”

Brook estimates the cost of the building to be between £60,000 and £70,000 but believes the impact of the facility will be felt at the club for years to come.

He said: “The costs have inevitably gone up as we’ve gone on. It has cost more than we expected, and we had to borrow money for it, but the quality is excellent.

“The builder, Paul Cornforth, has a son who plays for one of our junior teams, so he’s had a vested interest really.

“We’ve held race nights, disco evenings, the inevitable raffles and draws every week. It’s been difficult but we’ve got a very loyal band of followers and a lot of people have given their time voluntarily.

“It means we can have our own functions and awards evenings now. Instead of having to go out to pubs and what have you, we can host them ourselves now.

“It really is a milestone and an historic year for the club. We’ve moved up several gears with this and it’s very much the final step along the way.”

Clayton boast five junior teams on their roster, as well as two senior sides, and Brook hopes the off-field enhancements will be of benefit to those youngsters on it.

“The rugby and football clubs have gone in Clayton now, they’ve moved elsewhere, so there’s only the cricket club left,” he said.

“There’s a Police Fund which we applied to and although we didn’t get any money, they commended us for keeping the kids off the street.”