A CRICKET club hopes a £2,000 council grant will help more young people get involved in the sport by making equipment and training more affordable.
The funding, awarded to Witham Cricket Club by Braintree District Council, will be used to purchase training equipment and playing kit ahead of next season.
Club officials say the money will help remove some of the financial barriers that can prevent youngsters from taking up cricket, particularly as players progress into hardball cricket and require specialist protective equipment.
Councillor Jon Hayes presented the grant during the club's presentation evening on August 28 and said he hoped it would encourage more people to give the sport a try.
He said: "It's for training equipment and some kits. It can be quite cost-heavy because, particularly when it gets to hardball, players need protection through pads and helmets.
"It will hopefully encourage more people to turn up and play the sport."
Mr Hayes said the funding was secured through work involving fellow district councillors Toby Williams, Billy Taylor and Sindhu Rajeev.
During the presentation evening, he said he witnessed first-hand the role the club plays in the local community.
"I went down and met some of the coaches," he said. "They're all volunteers. Without them, it doesn't happen.
"If we can get young people involved, hopefully we can build a conveyor belt and get people to come through and keep playing."
Caroline Boden, the club's Colts secretary and administrator, said making cricket accessible to families was a key priority.
She praised Mr Hayes as "a friend of the club" and highlighted an initiative aimed at reducing the cost of equipment for young players.
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Ms Boden said: "Craig Icely, one of our co-ordinators, came up with the idea of doing a 'swap shop'.
"People were able to give away their decent-quality kits that still had life in them.
"With the money, we'll make sure kits are available to anyone who doesn't have one."
The club hopes the grant, alongside initiatives such as the swap shop, will help ensure more youngsters have the opportunity to take up cricket regardless of their circumstances.
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