CRICKET club bosses have been bowled over by the response to a major refurbishment worth more than £65,000.

Chiefs at Barrow Cricket Club hope they can make their pavilion a popular place for the community to use for events such as weddings and christenings.

The chairman of the club said he was “delighted” with the work, which took place 25 years after it was last spruced up.

Chairman Ray Mowat said: “It was a long time since anything was done to the club so was nice to be able to get this refurbishment done.

“We hope that the club will be a place for the community to come and use as a venue. We are a community-focused sports club so we are not for profit.

“The whole aim of our being is to provide good quality cricket facilities for the local area.

“That means we want to be a place for people to hold events, such as birthdays and weddings - but also provide sporting facilities for young people who live nearby and elsewhere.

“We always want it to make it a club that is at the heart of the community.”

Work has been done to upgrade the pavilion’s bar and toilet facilities.

Money has also been pumped into the pitch, with new net facilities for training.

The bulk of the money used for the revamp was provided in a grant by the English Cricket Board.

Benefactors also included Waste Recycling Environmental and businessman philanthropist Peter Schofield.

Mr Mowat said: “We are really grateful for all the support we have had.”

The clubhouse bar was officially opened by Barrow mayor, Cllr Bill McEwan.

Cllr Alan Pemberton, a former club president said the refurbishment would help the club to keep giving back to the community. He said: “We are really pleased by the refurbishment. The club is a huge part of the community. There are lots of junior teams so the club is a great place for young people to come and have something to do. With this refurbishment we hope the pavilion will a place that will be well used.”