SWANTON Morley Cricket Club has embarked on a major project to replace its 18-year-old, inadequate shiplap pavilion, which is no longer fit for purpose.

SWANTON Morley Cricket Club has embarked on a major project to replace its 18-year-old, inadequate shiplap pavilion, which is no longer fit for purpose.

Plans are afoot to replace it with a well-designed new building which will contain improved changing facilities, including toilets and showers.

These amenities are essential if the club is going to be able to expand its already very successful youth section - including girls as well as boys - and continue to maintain its high standards of child safety and protection.

In November 2008, the club was awarded a grant of �20,000 from Swanton Morley Parish Council using part of the proceeds from the sale of the old village hall, which could only be used only for capital projects within the village.

Since then applications for match funding grants have been made to various bodies, all to no avail.

A further application was made in February to the Norfolk Youth Fund, operated by Norfolk County Council, emphasising the significant youth section of the club and the various activities associated with it.

These include popular cricket training sessions on Monday evenings, run by three qualified coaches; boys' U12, U13, and U15 teams and a girls' U13 team; opportunities for local Schools Partnerships to use the club's facilities for their finals for the Years 5 and 6, Kwik Cricket and the hosting of more inter-county cricket games for elite young players.

Following a discussion at the county board meeting, the young people forming part of the panel of judges invited youngsters from the club to attend a meeting, give a presentation and be prepared to answer questions about the project.

Soren Gauntlett, who first joined the youth section of the club around five years ago, acted as spokesman and two contemporaries, Oliver Hood and Ben Hudson, accompanied him.

Ten days later came the good news that the application had been successful and the club received an offer of �40,000.

More applications need to be made to other bodies to cover the remaining shortfall and, only when all the funding is in place, will work on the project begin.

If all goes according to plan, the old pavilion will be demolished in September and the replacement should be ready in time for the new season in 2011.