A VILLAGE cricket club that has become a victim of its own success is hoping to persuade planners to allow it to build a new pavilion.

West Monkton Cricket Club has outgrown its existing facility, which has become "extremely tired, expensive to maintain and inadequate for the club’s present needs".

The parish council has submitted a planning application to Taunton Deane Borough Council to build new premises at the club's ground, Camel's Hump, in Hobbs Lane.

The club, which was formed some 125 years ago, has enjoyed a meteoric rise through the West Somerset Cricket League since joining in 1990 and now plays in the top division.

As well as adult teams, more than 50 youngsters attend evening training sessions and a larger clubhouse and changing facilities are desperately needed.

The ground was funded through a planning gain agreement with housebuilders in the area following a funding bid in January 2016.

A supporting statement with the application says the current pavilion "detracts

significantly from the aesthetic appearance of what is otherwise an attractive cricket

ground".

The new single structure would consist of a central entrance into the clubroom at the front, and changing rooms either side, all of which face the pitch.

The support areas, such as the kitchen, showers and toilets, are located towards the back.