Clifton Cricket Club have suffered a nightmare start to 2012 after gale-force winds blew a major hole in their budget.

A 12-metre high fence at cow corner of the team’s ground on Manchester Road twisted and buckled in stormy conditions last week, missing the houses it was meant to protect by just a few feet.

Members and players worked together to help make the fence safe over the weekend, but early estimates put the cost of repairs at an eye-watering £10,000 – enough to wipe out the Central Lancashire League club’s savings and more.

Chairman Ian Morris said: "There was a bit of panic over those first nights, but it just managed to miss the houses.

"It absolutely will affect our budget. We’ll be working hard to see if there are any grants available and see what we can pull out of the bag.

"It’s imperative that we get some of the fence back up. Whether we can get the full length of it and full height before the season starts is something that we’re working hard on, and we are also talking to the neighbours it affects."

Morris, however, insists the cash blow won’t affect Clifton hiring over overseas professional, Sri Lankan Madura Lakmal, for next season.

"We’ve already committed to an overseas player, and we’ve signed contracts. We’ll have to tighten our belts everywhere else," he said. "We’ve always got a lot of projects that we’d like to do, as all sports clubs have.

"And times are not the best for the beer sales and that industry, turnover is dropping there as well. It’s affecting everyone.

"But I’d like to thank all the lads that came up over the weekend.

We’ve probably saved ourselves two-to-three thousand pounds getting that fence down by doing most of it ourselves.

"We have had contractors in in the week but also a fantastic response from the members."

Anybody who can help, please call the club on 0161 794 5817.

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