CRICKETING legends Alec Stewart and David Ward helped a local cricket club celebrate the opening of their new clubhouse.

Chipstead, Coulsdon & Walcountians are celebrating their 150th anniversary and last week opened the doors of their new £425,000 clubhouse.

Ex-England wicket-keeper and captain Alec Stewart admitted it is facilities like those at Chipstead that were needed to attract people to grassroots cricket.

"It's lovely here, I was down here for the CricketForce in March and it was just a shell then, so they've done an outstanding job and it makes it really proud to see it," he said.

"The ECB have been very good handing out grants and Chipstead have done well to raise the rest of the money. You need facilities like this because it attracts people both young and old. They also have a good colts section here so it reinforces the future of the club.

"This is a good model for other clubs to look at. With the new clubhouse it is now a place people want to come to, if it is a ropey old place there is no reason why people would want to go down for a drink or if you have had an away game, come back to the clubhouse after.

"Now it is a facility the club should be proud of."

During a day of festivities the Chipstead first team played a MCC team captain by ex-Chipstead colts player and Surrey veteran David Ward.

He believes the new clubhouse is a vast improvement on the facilities he remembers.

"The clubhouse is fantastic compared to the old shack we had before. It's better than it was although I had a lot of memories and good times in there, but obviously you've got to move on and they've done a great job raising money," Ward said.

"Before, the roof was falling in and the showers didn't work and the changing rooms were really small; it was falling apart but for a cricket ground in a lovely situation I think the new clubhouse is great. It'll make people really want to be here.

"A good clubhouse just give a club a great atmosphere; people want to come and the kids can play of the grass while the parents put their feet up and watch the cricket."

CCWCC chairman Ian Childs, managed the building of the project, including seeking a grant from the ECB and helping to raise the remainder of the costs, and he admits the build wasn't without stress.

"I've got two business principles; if you don't ask, you don't get. And the other is no is not an option; there is only varying degrees of yes. Those are the two business principles I've been living by during the last nine months of the build," he explained.

"Without the support of the ECB and Sport England we never would have got this done.

"We weren't going to do the development this year and Tim [from the ECB] suddenly asked us to come up for a meeting.

"He offered us rather a large sum of money and the deal was take it or leave it, but it's got to be finish by March.

"It's our intentions to be playing in the top, top leagues and I'm sure Nick and the boys will get us there and the best of luck to them."

CC&W captain Nick Woods admits the team have already been getting use out of their new facilities.

"The new clubhouse is great and it's fair to say we've got a bit of use out of it already.

"We only recently got furniture in it, but even when we on benches it was nice to have a great social space like that we can use," he said.