Work on three new practice nets at a cricket club is set to start next month.

The more than £70,000 project at The Holt will see three new enclosed practice nets installed at the club ahead of the 2025 season.

The nets will be put in place thanks to the hard work of club members and the community, who raised funds, as well as generous donations from grant-giving bodies.

The fundraising effort saw players and members of all ages participate in abseiling, washing cars, and sitting in a bath of beans.

A large part of the funds were raised by the Budleigh Salterton Cricket Club fundraising manager Carolyn Roper, who secured donations from several trusts, including the ECB’s County Grant Scheme.

She said: "It’s wonderful that we are now in a position to start building our new cricket nets.

"Raising the money has been a huge effort for our membership, with juniors and seniors all getting involved in raising money through all sorts of activities.

"We have received so much support from our community attending events, and local trusts generously contributing to the cause.

"The players have been very patient for two cricket seasons, it will be great to have them in place ready for 2025."

The nets, designed by the provider Exclusive Leisure, will be high-spec and suitable for disability cricket and regular training for junior, senior, and women’s teams.

Work on the nets will begin at the end of September and it will take 12 to 15 days to complete, depending on the weather and ground conditions.

BSCC director Andy Drodge said: "We are really pleased to have received grants which, added to our own fundraising efforts, allows us to proceed with the provision of an all-weather training net facility which will be ready ahead of next season.

"The state-of-the-art nets will add to our already excellent facilities and will be pivotal to the development of our junior sections and to enable our senior squads to hone their skills to achieve the level of success on the pitch the club is aiming for.

"This is a significant step forward in the playing side of the club after all of the progress we have made on the off-pitch side of the club."