CALSTOCK Cricket Club is looking for support from the community to help its grant application to buy the ground it has used for more than 25 years.

Owning the Butts Meadow site would mean security for the club and the development of cricket facilities and junior cricket in the area.

Junior section lead Mark Rundle said as part of the application for funding from Sport England the club needed to seek the views of the community to see if it would support the club and perhaps like to get involved in the future.

He said: 'We want to secure this land as a cricket club and develop the junior teams but we also want to invest in the playing surface. It is much easier to improve the pitches and the outfield if we own the facility.

'This is the best way forward for us and although there is still a lot of competition for funds from Sport England it all depends on the strength of our proposal. We would like the community to help us make it as good as we can.'

The club currently has 32 'Under 11s' members and wants to start a dedicated girls 'Under 11s' team for the first time this year.

It currently has teams in the Jolly's Cornwall Division 6, the Tamar Evening League and a mixed boys and girls 'Under 11s' team that plays in the Cornwall Youth Cricket League.

Over the last two years, the club has brought cricket tuition to the primary schools of Calstock, Gulworthy, Delaware and St Mellion and St Dominick Federation Schools.

It has been awarded the 'Chance to Shine' contract by the Cornwall Cricket Board which recognises the power of cricket to help young people acquire important skills, values and attitudes for their future lives.

The club was also given the 'Clubmark' award by the England and Wales Cricket Board, recognising the systems that are in place for coaching juniors and this has led to the development of after-school clubs and more teams.

Mr Rundle said the aim was to give schoolchildren an option to play and get involved in cricket for fun and to provide a link to club cricket and the more competitive side of league cricket.

The consultation is also available on the Calstock Parish Council website: calstockparishcouncil.org.uk