ON a crisp and clear Saturday morning in January last year, 12 men arrived at Grayshott sports field and donned only their birthday suits ready to support a charity close to the heart of the village cricket club.

They were posing for Grayshott Cricket Club’s charity calendar, which has made £760 for Macmillan Cancer Support. The men shivered through four hours while more than 600 photos were taken by the club’s photographer Lance Cavannagh, who directed the scenarios, backgrounds, props and the level of exposure involved.

After Photoshopping to preserve the dignity of those involved, the photos were whittled down to 12.

Calendars were printed and sales rocketed throughout the 2016 cricket season.

Club spokesman Neil Sampson thanked Lance Cavannagh, Danny Brown, Tom Part, Will Phipps, Rob Gregory, Neil Sampson, Cameron Oosthuizen, James Cavannagh, Paul Roberts, Andy Wheble, Max Heath, Neil Moseley, Rob Ward, who all played a part in the production.

A cheque was presented last Saturday to Macmillan at the club’s new Broxhead ground. An open morning also celebrated the completion of a project to refurbish the pavilion.

The club now has two grounds: one at Grayshott Sportsfield and the second at Broxhead Common, in Lindford, where the club took over the lease last year. Grayshott took over the running of the ground and played matches there for the first time last season.

Improvements to the pavilion include a new patio; replacement indoor and external lighting; the installation of a renewable energy source for heating and hot water; loft insulation to current standards; a new dry-storage area; replacement flooring and better security.

Grants for the work were awarded by Hampshire County Council, the Boltini Fund and the cricket club, with youth manager Graham Sampson managing the project for the club.