UTTOXETER Cricket Club are appealing to individuals and businesses to support an event aimed at completely revamping the club's ageing facilities.

The Racecourse Ground club is set to take part in the ECB CricketForce 2010 – dubbed the biggest annual volunteering event in sport – on March 27 and March 28.

During last year's CricketForce, 85,000 volunteers helped more than 1,514 cricket clubs overhaul their facilities to the tune of around £40 million.

Uttoxeter CC is now hoping to reap similar rewards from the 2010 event.

First-team skipper Jon Walmsley said: "We would like to make the club a far more welcoming place to play and watch cricket.

"The pavilion has not been improved in the last 25 years and desperately needs repainting and modernising. The bathroom facilities also need overhauling."

As well as decorating the pavilion's interior and exterior, the Racecourse Ground club hopes to install a new fully-equipped kitchen.

New nets, a scoreboard and improved playing facilities are also on Uttoxeter's wish-list. But support from the community is vital if the club is to achieve its goals.

A Uttoxeter spokesman added: "ECB CricketForce at Uttoxeter Cricket Club, with your support, will be a stunning success, leaving a living legacy for the communities neighbouring the club.

"We fully appreciate that the current economic climate does not make this a perfect time for all businesses to be asked to support us in this way.

"However, CricketForce is not simply a way to dress up requests for monetary sponsorship. Instead, it is a request for in-kind help and contributions towards developmental projects being undertaken."

All the planned improvements require raw materials plus labour – often skilled.

The spokesman added: "It is the need for these that has inspired the club to ask for any possible assistance in the success of these much-needed improvements to a wonderful community cricket club. All help, no matter how big or small, will be positively received."

Individuals or businesses offering support are asked to contact either Jon Walmsley or Dave Whitehead on 07523 289563.

For further details on ECB CricketForce 2010, visit www.ecb.co.uk/cricketforce

WINTER nets sessions for Uttoxeter Cricket Club's seniors will commence on Wednesday (January 13) from 7pm and run for 10 weeks.

Sessions will take place at Thomas Alleyne's Sports Centre.

Those interested should contact captain Jon Walmsley on 07523 289563.

Junior nets will begin on Wednesday, January 20 and run on consecutive Wednesdays for nine weeks.