IT HAS taken four years but Shobrooke Park Cricket Club will have not one but TWO pavilions.

Work has begun on a new pavilion which is planned to stand beside the existing one.

It is hoped that work will be completed by September 22. The foundations have been laid by Simons Construction, the main contractor for Tesco's new store at Crediton.

Labour, excavators and concrete were provided free of charge.

Tesco's regional corporate manager, Melanie Chiswell said Tesco were pleased to help.

"We had people nearby and it was a simple task, so it was no trouble for us."

The existing pavilion does not provide enough space to accommodate equipment for a game.

"The changing rooms were based on the Victorian age and modern players have more kit" explained club secretary Richard Pyle.

"The new building will be able to store most of the equipment and we can get rid of the sporadic huts it is in at the moment.."

The club has around 50 members between the ages of 11 and 65 and runs four league teams, one "friendly" team and an indoor team.

"At the moment the club juniors play with the adults but the long-term goal is to run youth cricket, probably in teams under 11, 13 and 15 years. These will provide the lifeblood of the club and enable it to go forward", he said.

"We want to take one step at a time but if the interest should be there we could also start a women's team."

It is hoped that walkers in the park will drop in for a cup of tea and watch a match.

The pavilion could also possibly be used for social events held in the park.

The pavilion will cost a total of £15,000 but the club has secured an Awards for All grant of £10,000 and received contributions from Mid Devon District Council and Mole Avon, plus funds raised from social events and competitions.

"The intention is to get the new pavilion storm and weatherproof before winter and finish the work off at a pre-season cricket day in February or March", said Mr Pyle.