Members of an Ilkley cricket club are celebrating today after being bowled a massive cash boost.

And the £15,000 grant from the Foundation for Sports and the Arts will enable the Olicanian Cricket Club to bring to fruition a years-long project to move out of an old wooden hut and into a proper pavilion.

Youth cricket is set to benefit from the scheme and club officials hope their new base will help win it a place in a more local league.

Club secretary Roger Simcox said the club - which was founded almost 80 years ago - had been raising cash for the last four years and would have to match the grant with £15,000 of its own money.

The club, based off Denton Road, is buying a former tennis pavilion from Silver Cross at Guiseley and the money will pay for it to be dismantled, moved to Ilkley, re-erected and furnished.

Mr Simcox said it was hoped to have the pavilion ready for use later this season, adding: "We're extremely pleased with this grant which will help take the club into the next Millennium.

"At the moment we've just got a small wooden hut.

"It's been there since 1963 and is fairly basic - literally just changing rooms, showers and somewhere to make tea."

Mr Simcox added: "At the moment we play in the Leeds league - we applied to go into the Airedale and Wharfedale League which is more local but got turned down because our facilities weren't good enough.

"We'll probably apply again next year once we've got the new facilities and hope they'll help us get in.''

As well, the club will be looking at running a youth section in the new pavilion.

Mr Simcox said the club's new headquarters would be available for hire.

The foundation has also given £3,200 to Bradford's Drummond Middle School to enable it to buy table tennis equipment for use by the school and community, while £500 grants have been made to Cullingworth Cricket Club and Glusburn Indoor Bowls Club enabling them to buy a mowing machine and new bowling mats respectively.

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