White Coppice Cricket Club has been given a £3,600 boost by local entrepreneur Tim Knowles. 

The managing director of FI Real Estate Management (FIREM) saved the club earlier this year after stepping in to install a new septic tank behind the clubhouse.

The club had been quoted £29,000 to repair the leaking septic tank and faced a race against time to be ready for the start of the new season in April until he intervened.

At the time that Knowles replaced the septic tank he offered to match-fund whatever the club raised from its annual four-day CoppiceFest, which ran from June 19-22.

True to his word, the property entrepreneur immediately doubled the £3,600 raised from CoppiceFest to £7,200.

He said: “I visited White Coppice Cricket Club earlier this year and it made a real impact on me.

“The stunning beauty is well known but it’s more than that.

“The cricket club gets in your blood and when the players mentioned the importance of CoppiceFest to their finances I pledged to double whatever profit they made.

“White Coppice Cricket Club is 150 years old and I hope they’ll be at the centre of community life for many more years to come.”

The club’s 1st XI captain Jake Smalley said: “We are beyond grateful for Tim’s continued generosity.

“I was on BBC Radio Lancashire on Wednesday’s talking about the MCC game and the revival of the club and so much of that is down to Tim.

“A lot of work went into making CoppiceFest a success and then Tim comes along and makes it twice as successful for the club.

“We’ve got ambitious plans to improve the training facilities and this will go a long way to turning that dream into reality.”