LANCASHIRE County Cricket Club has been awarded a grant of £600,000 in the latest round of monthly awards from the National Lottery Sports Fund.

It is the largest of three awards, totalling over £1 million, made in the North West region this month.

Lancashire's grant will be used to assist in the construction of a new indoor cricket school at the county's Old Trafford headquarters.

The new facility will become the focal point for the development of cricket in the North West.

And it will be available for use both by the local community and as a centre for developing performance, with a particular emphasis placed on promoting the sport to young people.

The £1.2 million centre will accommodate five cricket lanes, and at a length of 65 metres will be one of the largest of its kind in the country, permitting full match practice for a fast bowler bowling to a full close field.

Facilities will also include a viewing gallery, fitness training facility, a lecture room, and changing accommodation. The centre will also be fully accessible for people with disabilities.

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