Gala CC met the standard required by the BSLT Club Accreditation Scheme after undergoing some off the field improvements, which has improved the organisation and effectiveness of the club and in turn led to a number of other spin-off benefits.

Kenny Paterson, Secretary of Gala CC, said: “The Club Accreditation Scheme gave us the shot in the arm to bring our out-of-date constitution in line with today’s regulations, and also saw us appoint our first Child Protection Officer.

“We have already benefited hugely from being an Accredited Club. It has allowed us to successfully bid for funding from Clubsport Ettrick and Lauderdale for a new wicket cover which should see more junior and senior games get played, and we also have used BSLT’s facilities for indoor training for juniors and seniors at a reduced rate. We can also access funding to help our junior coaches sit courses which will help them and our youngsters improve.

“We have to thank Mark Forsyth at BSLT for his help meeting the Club Accreditation standard. For the funding of the wicket cover, we thank Clubsport Ettrick and Lauderdale and the Rowan Boland Memorial Trust for their generous support.” Meanwhile, Gala CC is taking part in Jewson CricketForce weekend, which sees clubs across Scotland being encouraged to get their facilities ready ahead of the new season.

Gala will be carrying out works to their clubrooms and training nets on Saturday, March 28 at 9am at Meigle Park.

Members and non-members are encouraged to come along to help, with a bacon roll and cup of tea/coffee being provided as a thank you for your time. Anyone seeking more information should contact Kenny Paterson at kppaterson@yahoo.co.uk.