FARNHAM Cricket Club has been given a cash boost from housebuilder Taylor Wimpey West London to help fund the construction of a new pavilion.

The developer, which has planning permission to build 120 new homes on the nearby Beavers Road hop fields in Farnham, has donated £500 to the club by purchasing advertising banners at its Farnham Castle Cricket Ground, where the new building will be.

Tim Watson, junior leader and committee member at Farnham Cricket Club, said: “Like many cricket clubs, we are run by volunteers and funded by kind donations, so we rely heavily on sponsorships such as this.

“Our membership fees provide seasonal training and facilities, and with this we manage to break even, so to be able to keep our subscription costs as a reasonably low rate we really need help like this.

“We have a long-term plan to construct a new pavilion, so sponsorships help us take a step closer towards achieving our goals and allow us to grow the club, invest in new facilities and keep the sport going in the future.”

The club, founded in 1782, is one of the oldest and most historic clubs in England.

“We currently run three senior teams and a junior section, so we have around 500 members in total,” continued Tim. “We provide cricket for under-eights through to under-16s, which then moves up to academy level and senior teams.

“We have some of the most picturesque grounds at Farnham Cricket Club – we’re adjacent to Farnham Castle and the Taylor Wimpey banners are running along the perimeter.

“We have recently hosted various festivals at our grounds including under-eights and nines, while the under-10s’ festival is taking place in July, so we’ve helped nearly 400 children to play cricket.

“We’re absolutely delighted to have this support from Taylor Wimpey – it will help us with our three-year plan to build a new pavilion, which is anticipated to cost in the region of £400,000.

“Taylor Wimpey’s donation helps provide ongoing foundations for a flourishing cricket community in Farnham, and it also benefits the wider community as the pavilion is used by local schools as well.

“There isn’t a great deal of state school cricket as it’s mainly provided in private schools or by clubs such as ours, so this donation helps to offer the sport to hundreds of boys and girls who want to learn the rules and experience the delights of cricket.

“We pride ourselves on being a competitive, yet friendly family club and new members are always welcome.”

Emma Jones, sales and marketing director for Taylor Wimpey West London, added: “We’re thrilled to lend our support to Farnham Cricket Club and help them towards achieving their goals of a new pavilion in the future.

“We feel it’s extremely important to offer our support and help them continue to be at the centre of the Farnham community – we wish them the best of luck for the rest of their season!”