A SPORTS club has swapped cricket bats for red wine and pizza – by running its own Italian restaurant.

Richmondshire Cricket Club, based in Hurgill Road, Richmond, wanted to diversify to boost its funds.

So it opened Antonio’s Italian Restaurant in September last year and the volunteer-run management committee hope other recent improvements to the club will attract even more diners.

Committee treasurer Kate Maw said the idea to open a dedicated restaurant within the clubhouse came about when an outside catering contract ended.

“We were faced with a decision to bring in more outside catering or refurbish our own kitchen and do the catering ourselves,” she said.

“We thought it would be far better to run our own kitchen, so any profits could go straight back into the club – members fees alone are not enough to keep the club going as cricket is an expensive sport to run.”

Head chef Mike Hall said he was relishing the opportunity to be part of the cricket club team and creating his own menus.

“It’s been a brilliant chance for me to lead my own team. The committee is really supportive and allowing me to create my own dishes, which is fantastic as a chef,” he said.

Ms Maw said the committee chose Italian cuisine because it is family friendly, and is also popular with the many youngsters that play for the club’s youth teams.

She added: “We want to attract non-members and members alike. We are doing lots more work at the club too, including installing a partition wall in the main clubhouse to separate the bar and another function room.

“We are also finishing a decking area and terrace outside so people can enjoy our beautiful setting – it’s often said we have the best beer garden in Richmond and now we hope we can allow it to live up to that name.”

Antonio’s has a varied menu including pizza, pasta, steaks and fish, as well as specials, and is open Tuesday to Saturday from noon to 2pm, then 5pm to 9pm and Sundays from noon to 3.30pm.

All food is also available to take away.

The function room is available to hire for weddings and special occasions with in-house catering available ranging from a buffet to a three course meal.

For further information about volunteering, playing cricket, or to book a table call 01748-824573.