The Westhill club, who were due to play in Hampshire League Division 2 this season, have balanced the books this summer — despite the worry lockdown would have on it — thanks to a £10,000 government payment and a further £3,000 from Sport England.
The money will ensure one of the Isle of Wight’s top cricket venues continues to be well maintained in readiness for a resumption of cricket action this weekend, when Shanklin host St Helen’s (Saturday) and Island Bakeries (Sunday).
Club official, Guy de Belder, said: “These grants will help the club to meet its financial obligations during the pandemic. We recently paid for new scarifier blades, which will improve the quality of the pitches.
“Our fundraising effort has also been very successful and we have been able to meet all of the expenses associated with our ongoing refurbishment project without dipping into the club reserves. This has been a wonderful effort by so many people."