A CRICKET club could be transformed into a ‘21st century facility’ if £350,000 renovation plans get the green light.

Bradshaw Cricket Club is hoping to begin work next summer to expand its Rigby Lane home.

The proposals are designed to cater for new girls’, women’s, and disabled teams with new changing rooms, as well as a new members’ lounge and an extended function suite.

Club secretary Mike Buckley said: “For the past 10 years, we have been improving the club in one way or another and have spent a lot of our own money to do that.

“We are now looking to have girls’, women’s, and disabled cricket and our current facilities are just not equipped for that.

“Our changing rooms are all upstairs and they are very outdated.

“This is the next stage in our development.”

If the plans are approved by Bolton Council, the club will then begin applying for grant funding to cover the cost of the renovations, which could reach £350,000.

Bradshaw Cricket Club has had a presence on the site since 1884, but the existing facilities were built and subsequently extended between the 1970s and 1990s.

The club has three senior teams, four youth teams, and is an ECB-accredited All Stars Cricket centre.

In a statement sent to the council, the club said: “The existing club facilities are unsuitable, both for the current operation of Bradshaw Cricket Club and in terms of allowing expansion in the future.

“In addition, the function room is limiting in terms of bringing in additional revenue through functions and membership, which would be advantageous for the long-term financial sustainability of the club.

“These proposals, therefore, have been prepared to address the issues presented by the current facilities and to provide a building that will cater for the future growth of the club.”

It adds: “This results in the building becoming complementary to the surround area with a contemporary appearance, appropriate for a 21st century facility, as well maintaining the original form of the buildings design.”

Due to the poor condition of the existing drainage within the club’s washroom facilities, it is proposed to relocate and provide new washrooms for the function suite.

That would enable a new principle entrance to be formed from the rear car park, which would provide a better means of access for wheelchair users.

Two new accessible changing rooms will be built at ground floor level and it is also proposed to raise the height of the existing pavilion roof by a metre and increase its pitch to provide better rainwater run-off.

It is proposed to have integrated shutters built within the viewing gallery, to enable the shelters to be secured at night and prevent anti-social behaviour.

Last month, club members found themselves trapped in their clubhouse when 40 young people started vandalising equipment and shouting abuse.