Cricketers in Richmond will soon find themselves playing on a newly refurbished artificial pitch thanks to local funding.

Hampton Hill Cricket Club, based in the pavilion in Bushy Park, received £5,000 from Richmond Council’s Civic Pride Fund to refurbish their facilities and resurface the artificial match pitch.

The project has enabled the club to continue its expansion of junior cricket support - which includes All Stars Cricket for children aged five to eight years old and the launch of a new girls team.

Stephen Fidler, Chairman of Hampton Hill Cricket club, said: “The club are extremely grateful for this award from the Civic Pride Fund.

“The new facilities will allow us to continue to expand the amount and variety of cricket we can offer to the community at all levels of the game"

The club has now also sponsored four Level 2 coaches and the refurbished facility will enable them to coach the age group teams in a safe environment.

The Council’s Civic Pride Fund is available to individuals or groups who want to organise a project or event to improve their local area and deliver more for their local communities.

Grants of up to £5k are available to organisations and £1k for individuals.