A Cricket club’s historic pavilion is to be recreated after it was destroyed by fire.

The blaze at the end of August badly damaged Enfield Cricket Club’s tearoom and groundsman’s hut after an electrical fault turned into a fire which quickly spread.

The incident was a huge blow to volunteers at the club in Church, as the flames had completely destroyed the 151-year-old structure.

Now a planning application has been put to Hyndburn Council to create an ‘identical’ structure to the one which was lost.

The new building will cost more than £150,000, which is expected to be covered by insurance.

Club chairman, Geoff Dixon, however said it was ‘doubtful’ that the building would be ready for next season, even if planning permission was granted.

He said: “We may have to make alternative arrangements, but it is very good news that we are progressing with this.

“We haven’t given up hope that the building may be ready by next April, but it is more likely that we will use a temporary building or convert another part of the club to serve tea.

“We have applied for the building to be demolished and rebuilt, as the fire caused so much damage. It should be identical when it is finished.”

The proposed building submitted to the council is said to ‘emulate the existing building in all aspects of design and scale’ however the outlook has been changed slightly to provide better viewing of the cricket pitch from within.

The new building will also have a ramp, rather than stepped access.

Formed in 1859, the first game at Enfield was on June 30, 1860 and was played on a portion of the present ground near the mound on the Clough side.

The old pavilion was the scene of celebrations when Enfield won the Lancashire League title for the first time in 1919 and as the club and league grew, work started on a new brick pavilion on the other side of the ground.

When that opened in the late 1920s, the old one, rather than being demolished, was turned into a tearoom and storage area and over the years has become famous around local cricket circles with volunteer ladies serving tea, coffee and hot food to hungry spectators, as well as providing teas for the players.