A FAST-GROWING sports club is on the brink of realising its dream of a purpose built pavilion and is appealing to local businesses to help them get over the line.

Port Sunlight Cricket Club will take delivery of a new £500,000 clubhouse on April 29 at Leverhulme Sportsfield and hopes to open it for sporting use in early May.

The project is a joint enterprise between the cricket club and Port Sunlight Rugby club. 

Both organisations have raised £75,000 each and have been supported in their funding by a grant and small loan from the English Cricket Board (ECB) and a Sports England award as well as other local fundraising activities.

The combined efforts have swelled the coffers to £475,000, leaving the project approximately £25,000 short of their goal and local business are now being invited to help complete the mission.

Wirral Globe: The outdated 'green shed' that is currently the home of Port Sunlight Cricket ClubThe outdated 'green shed' that is currently the home of Port Sunlight Cricket Club

Port Sunlight Cricket Club committee member Wayne Greve said: “We’ve probably been the laughing stock of Cheshire. 

“Only four people can get changed in our current club house opposition changing room at one time. We’ll go from having what we call the green shed to one of the nicer pavilions on the Wirral. It just takes the club to another level.

“It gives the juniors and their parents something better to sit in on a Friday night for watching the kids play and it will allow wives and girlfriends to have somewhere to watch the matches instead of just being stuck in the green shed.

“It will just bring the whole community to the club. Its going to make the cricket club the heart of the community instead of just being a cricket club. The same for the Rugby club.”

Wirral Globe: Port Sunlight Cricket League enjoyed five successive promotionsPort Sunlight Cricket League enjoyed five successive promotions

Port Sunlight Cricket Club has enjoyed a meteoric rise since 2012, with five consecutive promotions elevating them from the ninth tier of the Cheshire cricket pyramid to the fourth.

Now plying their trade in Cheshire League One, the club cannot climb any higher until they have facilities in line with the standard at which they are now competing. Just to get to this stage has been a four year process for the outfit. 

In 2016 the cricket club applied for planning permission before successfully securing a 25 year lease with Wirral Council. Only once this was secured could work begin on fundraising.

Efforts to raise money for the new facility were further boosted by a £12,000 grant awarded by the MBNA foundation at Lloyds Banking Group in Chester.

Wirral Globe: Plans for the new purpose-built pavilionPlans for the new purpose-built pavilion

The new pavilion will have four changing rooms with separate shower rooms (a requirement for woman’s cricket), umpire’s changing room, a 120m2 function suite with bar, large equipment storage room and separate toilet facilities.

As well as cricket and rugby, the new community hub will be utilised by Port Sunlight Cricket Club’s associated veteran’s football team and will be available to hire by other organisations.

In effort to hit their target, a number of sponsorship options are open to businesses, such as joining a sponsorship wall at the club and also naming rights. 

For smaller donations, their is also a ‘buy a brick’ campaign being set up.

Wirral Globe: Port Sunlight committee member Wayne GrevePort Sunlight committee member Wayne Greve

Mr Greve added: “If any company does want to donate, we can run a sports day for them during the summer or a corporate event using our new building. 

“Anyone who wants to hire the building can do so and is welcome to contact us. We’ve raised £475,000 and we just need the final £25,000 to get us to our total.”

Businesses or individuals who are interested in supporting Port Sunlight Cricket Club to reach their goal should contact committee member Wayne Greve via email: waynegreve@gmail.com