by Kevin Redsull

Deal Victoria & Barns Close Cricket Club are celebrating the award of a £50,000 National Lottery grant to upgrade their Gun Meadow ground clubhouse.

The club successfully applied for Olympic legacy funding from Sport England’s Inspired Facilities Fund and Fred Wilson, Deal Vics’ long-serving secretary, said: "Everybody at the club is absolutely delighted because it will enable us to finish off the improvements to the clubhouse which we first started planning in 1998.

"People always say it’s a waste of time applying for these grants but like the old saying goes, ‘if you don’t ask you don’t get’.

"Then, when you do apply, it’s all about good PR and making the strongest possible case in your application."

The upgrade will include an extension of the clubhouse and changing facilities, the provision of disabled toilets, a modernised kitchen area and resurfacing of the car park.

Mr Wilson said: "Our dressing rooms are fairly small and, with the players all carrying such big kit bags nowadays, you need more room and so extending the changing rooms is going to be great from the players’ point of view.

"Our catering volunteers are delighted that the new kitchen area is going to be all stainless steel, with the current kitchen turned into a disabled toilet, while I am very pleased that we are going to able to properly tarmac our car park for the first time."

The total cost of the work, due to start in October, will be nearly £60,000.