GREAT Harwood Cricket Club officially unveiled their new digital scoreboard – in memory of former treasurer and player Raymond Nicholson who died in October 2006 of cancer.

The old groundsman’s cabin and manual scoreboard has been replaced with a larger traditional-style brick and green-clad electronic scoreboard, which has already kept track of scores for the club’s eight teams.

Club secretary Stuart Maher said: "The old one wasn’t very safe and the cabin wasn’t big enough to store all the equipment the club has bought over the years.

"Raymond was a well-respected man and what started as a memorial raffle turned out to be an ambitious plan that will be the envy of the league."

The scoreboard was fitted just in time for the first X1’s first home game of the season against Edenfield, which Harwood won in a nail-biting climax by reaching 107 for 9 with four balls to spare.

A commemorative plaque is set to be installed in the near future.

Stuart added: "It is a lot easier for people to read because it’s a lot brighter. It’s something the whole club can be proud of."

The new equipment is part of a two-pronged plan for the club. The first plase was the scoreboard and storeroom. The second is to upgrade practice facilities for both club use and the local community.

Great Harwood Area Council contributed £10,000 towards the overall project, expected to cost around £75,000. Around £27,000 has been raised through a series of fund-raising events organised by members, and more are planned for the future.