A THRIVING village cricket club is hoping to expand by building a new pavilion and changing rooms on its secondary pitch.

Aston Ingham CC, which celebrates its half century next year, has submitted an application to Herefordshire Council for Mill Meadow, across the lane from its main Stockings Road site, which is “used almost daily during the season from April to September” but has no facilities.

The club, five miles east of Ross, which puts out four senior teams, plus women's and junior sides, posted: "These facilities are desperately needed and long overdue to support our growing ladies and junior divisions in particular.

"Additionally, we host league matches every weekend on Mill Meadow and being able to provide a suitable facility for home and away players, including changing rooms, cloakroom and small kitchen facilities would be of benefit to the whole club."

AICC was granted retrospective permission last year for changing the land use from agricultural to a cricket pitch, and is now keen to put in proper facilities for training and matches.

The 54m sq ‘semi-permanent’ building would be made of softwood timber with felt roof shingles to “fit in with the rural nature of the site”, says a planning report by Mike Cluley Rural Surveying.

"It was apparent in late 2018 that The Stockings pitch could not physically fit the required number of people for practice sessions, and it was also impossible to organise a fixture list for the Saturday leagues, whereby only one team could play at home,” it adds.

“The AICC committee approached the neighbouring landowner about letting Mill Meadow as a second pitch. A long-term lease has now been entered into to April 2049.

“However, the issue is the lack of changing and toilet facilities for players at Mill Meadow and the proposed erection of a pavilion building seeks to address them.

“The building size has been chosen to accommodate two changing rooms, a toilet, a small central communal area and a front veranda.”

Leo Lockwood, supporting the application, said the club is “a wonderful local asset demonstrated in the significant growth and success of the ladies, junior and senior sections. I believe this much needed project will bring significant benefits to the community.”