Keys handed over for new Cropredy Cricket Club pavilion

The new building includes a purpose-built score box, practice nets, full pitch covers and site screens to expand the club's capabilities and meet future needs.

Club chairman Peter Cooling said: “A little over five years ago, we began our first conversations about the feasibility of a second ground and changing facilities adjacent to our existing ground.

“I don't believe any of us involved in those initial conversations would have foreseen or even dared to dream that we would have ended up with the state-of-the-art facilities that we now have.

"The new pavilion massively exceeds what we first envisaged and will provide cricket and social facilities that will be the envy of clubs for miles around.

“We now have additional capacity and facilities to provide cricket for the village of Cropredy and surrounding areas that will enable us to continue our growth and our aim to be both the premier and stand out village club in north Oxfordshire and beyond.”

After a lengthy two-year planning process and continued in-depth consultation with Cherwell District Council, planning permission was granted in January.

Working closely with consulting structural engineers, M&E engineers and energy assessors, Scotts of Thrapston produced a tailor-made building.

The club worked closely with Scotts’ in-house architect and design manager, Bryn Lee, to create a building that will meet all the club’s future needs.

Bryn Lee, from Scotts, said: “Scotts of Thrapston has designed, engineered, manufactured and installed the pavilion providing a club room, with kitchen and bar facilities, new changing rooms with showers, an umpire and officials’ changing room and large raised verandah for watching the game in play.

"We are delighted to hand over the keys to a project that will bring a real benefit to the local community.”

The building is designed as a ‘hybrid’, using a traditional panelised timber frame with a cantilevered glulam beam supporting the main roof structure in the club room, to create a natural aesthetic and volume.

The superstructure was manufactured in-house at Scotts’ factory in Thrapston and was delivered to the Cropredy grounds in kit form being craned into place on site.

All machining and plate connections were carried out in-house by Scotts’ joiners to millimetre accuracy prior to assembly.