Cockermouth Cricket Club will hold its first match on Saturday, six months after being wrecked by the floods.

Members have worked tirelessly since then, clearing the land of debris and getting the grounds back in shape.

They club will be playing against Workington at the riverside grounds off Gote Road.

John Grainger is a committee member and also director of Cumbria Cricket Limited.

He said: "It is great to see cricket coming back to Cockermouth after such a devastating flood which caused catastrophic damage for the second time in five years. 

"Recreational cricket is the life blood for youngsters aspiring to play the game at its highest levels." 

The grounds were badly damaged in the December floods and repairs are expected to cost up to £80,000.

The practice area had to be dug up and redone, further groundwork will be done at the end of the season, including the building of flood mitigation walls, which will ensure the land is better protected in future.

"The support of organisations and individuals has enabled the recovery to be completed ahead of target and everyone at the club is grateful for the assistance received," said Mr Grainger.

"Like many other grounds hit so severely by the floods Cockermouth has relied on stalwart members to work tirelessly in order to get the playing surface back to its best condition. 

"However the club is very grateful to a number of organisations that have supported them with significant amounts of funding. The England and Wales Cricket Board has been incredibly supportive of plans to remediate the playing surface, along with Sport England. 

"Other organisations that have made significant contributions are Cumbria Community Foundation, Allerdale Borough Council, the Rotary Club of Cockermouth, Howdens Joinery, Cumbria County Council and Cumbria Cricket Limited. 

"Cockermouth School has been providing facilities for the many juniors that have continued to practise during the early part of the season."

Play starts at 2pm. 

"With both teams flying high it is bound to be a well-contested fixture and the club are welcoming visitors to see how the ground and the new practice nets have returned the Sandair facility to normality," said Mr Grainger.