A LIFELONG cricket fan has left more than £40,000 to a Hyndburn club in his will which has allowed ‘massive’ renovation work to be carried out.

Great Harwood Cricket Club has just undergone refurbishment costing around £50,000 to its pavilion.

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The work was only affordable after a donation to the team from the will of Graham Porter, and the rest of the money was raised by fundraising by the club.

Rod Steele, bar chairman and committee member, has said that future is bright for the club after the work.

Mr Steele said: “Graham was a local man from Great Harwood who gave half his estate to Great Harwood and half to Rishton Cricket Club.”

“It’s allowed exciting times all around for the club, it’s going to be massive for us all.

“It started to look tired and in need of refurbishment. The money will be a huge boost to a community facility.

“It’s going to be good for people using the facility tomorrow or for the next 30 years.”

The team has been around for more than 100 years and has been based at its current site in Cliffe Lane since the 1940s.

The club has been completely decorated, including new soft furnishings, lighting and an audio visual system so that the club can host conferences and other events.

In the last 12 months it has also had a new single storey extension with a roof terrace overlooking the ground with rattan furniture.

The club had to be closed for five weeks while work took place and it was reopened with a presentation night on Friday.

Three adult teams and five youths teams are based at the ground and they also host a variety of functions and next season will play in the Lancashire League after moving from the Ribblesdale League .

Cllr Stephanie Haworth, who represents the Overton ward for Hyndburn Council where the club is based, said: “My partner is a keen cricketer and intends to join the cricket club soon.

“I think anything being renovated is a good thing.

“They have a big youth team and that is brilliant.

“Young people need somewhere to go and it is better for them to be playing cricket than playing computer games.”