Enfield Cricket club officials say they are “devastated” after the fire which ripped through the club's historic pavilion yesterday.

The 151-year-old tearoom and groundsman’s hut at the ground in Dill Hall Lane, Church was well alight by the time 15 firefighters arrived at 6am.

Officers suspect an electrical fault caused the blaze, which has badly damaged the inside of the building and cracked double-glazed panels in windows.

Up to £10,000 of tools have been destroyed, as well as kitchen and dining equipment and photographs of past players and chairmen.

Club chairman, Geoff Dixon, said: “It’s an awful day for us.

"The building is as old as the club itself and the tea room has always been very, very popular with the community.

“We are speaking with the insurance assessors to see what the next step is, but we may have to pull the whole thing down and start again.

“In the meantime, we will be thinking of alternative places to serve refreshments on match days.”

Smoke from the fire was first seen by a committee member getting up for work.

As other members turned out to the ground, they stood around teary-eyed at the scene.

Katherine Bracewell, a tearoom volunteer, was one of the first to arrive.

She said: “It’s devastating to see such a pretty building like this.

“It’s been a labour of love for all the volunteers. We’ve worked so hard to get it nice for people when a lot of other clubs just get outside caterers in.

“Some of the old photographs on the wall were irreplaceable.

"They were of people who are so important to the club’s history, and now they’re gone.”

Groundsman Stanley Shaw has volunteered at the ground for seven years.

He said: “I feel very sad looking at the building burned out like this.

"I’ve painted the inside the last two years.

“Everything’s gone from my hut - all the small tools like spreaders we use at the end of the season.

"I’d reckon that it will cost about £10,000 to replace those.”

Watch manager Phil Whittaker of Lancashire Fire and Rescue said: “Although the building is intact, it has been severely damaged internally.

“It seems the fire started overnight and has burned unnoticed for some time.

“There are no signs of forced entry and early investigations show that it is accidental in nature.

"The cause is likely to have been an electrical fault.”

Firefighters used hose reels and an extension ladder to tackle the blaze.

Formed in 1859, the first game at Enfield was on June 30, 1860 and was played on a portion of the present ground near to 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 was started on a new brick pavilion on the other side of the ground.

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

The club are playing at home on Saturday against Haslingden and will be asking committee members to make sandwiches at home for the spectators.

Food will have to be served outdoors.

On Sunday they will be playing away at Rawtenstall.