Cricket club's £70,000 revamp nears completion

Eppleton Cricket Club, in Hetton, was last year awarded £68,620 so that the club’s tearoom could be rebuilt and provide ladies changing facilities as well as disabled toilets to the tearoom and clubhouse.

The club, which has a ground in Church Road, was among 149 projects 
to secure a share of £16.5million of National Lottery funding from Sport 
England to help improve 
facilities across the 
country.

Richard James, a trustee of the club, told the Echo that all involved are delighted with the work.

“The finishing touches such as a bit of paint here and there are being done now, but we’re 
over the moon with it,” said Mr James.

“It’s mainly thanks to the Lottery grant we got but we’ve also had money from Sunderland City Council and the England and Wales Cricket Trust too.

“It needed doing as well because the pre-fabricated tearoom we had was dropping to bits.”

The club have senior first and second teams as well as junior sides at under 18, under 15, under 13 and under 12 age groups.

“Although we’ve got the ladies changing rooms we don’t have a girls team yet as there isn’t a league for them,” added Mr James.

“We’ve got a few 
girls playing though as there seems to be more and more interested in the sport.”

Eppleton’s first team starts its league season on Saturday against Durham Academy at Chester-le-Street.

The second team are 
at home.