A cricket club which lays claim to be the oldest in Kirklees needs help to build a new clubhouse in time for its bi-centenary.

Lascelles Hall Cricket Club will be 200 years old in 2025 and it aims to have a new clubhouse open to mark its double century.

The club currently has a temporary clubhouse which is falling into disrepair and may not last another winter.

Its previous clubhouse, containing historical items and irreplaceable memorabilia, was destroyed in a blaze in November 2010.

The club also suffered a further blow when the scorebox at its isolated Highfield Lane ground was set ablaze in 2019.

The club received insurance payments and has money in the bank but needs £130,000 to £150,000 to build the clubhouse, which was granted planning permission from Kirklees Council last year.

Plans for the new clubhouse

A JustGiving page has been set up to raise £25,000 and chairman Shaun Woodhams said: “We still have money in the bank but we just need to raise a bit more to get us over the line.

“We hope to get the shell up by winter and hopefully people will support us.”

Lascelles Hall has a long and proud history and in its early provided many players for the Yorkshire county team. Five players went on to play for England.

Building a replacement for the clubhouse has been an ongoing battle with funding and grant issues and a fraud case involving its former treasurer.

A statement on the JustGiving page says it is hoped the clubhouse will “leave a legacy for the children of the community to use for the next 100 years.”