THE man who helped steer Darwen Cricket Club away from major financial difficulty has announced his decision to retire.

The Towers were suffering from rising debts when Geoff Thompson, 66, returned to the club as treasurer in 2006.

But Mr Thompson, who first got involved with the club in the mid-1980s as secretary, refinanced the club and now it is able to invest in facilities, cricket and its junior system.

Chairman Graham Ainslie was quick to praise the work of dad-of-three and grandfather Mr Thompson, who is married to Stephanie and lives in Knowsley Meadows.

He said: “As chairman of Darwen CC the committee and I are indebted to Geoff for the way he has managed the accounts over many years, providing sound financial advice and contributing towards developing the club, both on and off the field of play.

“His knowledge and experience have been fundamental in the club’s dev- elopment and I am personally delighted that he has agreed to remain an active member of the club.

“Geoff was awarded the honour of life member at Darwen CC in 2012 and intends to contribute towards future project work over the coming years and I am sure his input will remain valued.”

Having first got involved at Birch Hall, Mr Thompson oversaw the rebuilding of the clubhouse in 1990, which heralded a turnaround in the commercial fortunes of the club.

He later managed the refurbishment of the Bill Isherwood pavilion, scorebox and surfacing of the perimeter road before stepping down as secretary in the late 1990s.

It was on his return in 2006 that he made his financial mark. The club was performing well on the pitch in the Northern League but making financial losses. Mr Thompson overhauled the financial management and implemented controls on all costs and expenditure and, in 2011, refinanced the club through the Centenary Fund, where members stumped up cash to help pay off the club’s debts.

Mr Thompson, who also played in the Sunday XI until the late 1990s, said: “Without a committed membership and sound business model off the pitch, there can be no success on it.

“The main thing is that the team does well on the pitch, and nothing gives me greater pleasure than seeing us win of a weekend.”