THEY'VE had rain. They've had bad light. They've even had hail. But, in Barnard Castle Cricket Club's 175 years, it was the first time a helicopter stopped play.

At 6.20pm yesterday, the players darted from the field. A maroon helicopter sank from the blue sky, turned at extra cover, and plonked down at long-on.

Sir Ian Botham strode across the field, waved to the hundreds who came to see him, and left. He was flying to a wedding in Devon, via Birmingham, to pick up Kath.

Sir Ian, and his fans, were there to mark the club's 175th anniversary and the opening of new £57,000 changing rooms.

There were television cameras, police community support officers (PCSOs), and even yellow traffic cones. It's not every day you turn 175.

"Someone phoned on Thursday and said it was Ian Botham's pilot," said club chairman John Walker.

"I thought they were pulling my leg, but he just wanted to know where to land.

"The police were down this morning, asking if we wanted some bollards for the cars. I thought it best not to mention the helicopter."

The new changing rooms are the result of a £41,000 ECB grant, and years of hard work. Its predecessor in the opposite corner, charming but small, reminds all of the progress.

And, according to one expert, that progress is crucial for cricket's future.

"Developments like this are essential," said Sir Ian, in between signing a hundred children's bats.

"Without it, the game dies. They don't do enough cricket at schools - or enough of any sport full stop - and so we rely on things like this to encourage kids to play."

Sir Ian, who lives in nearby Ravensworth, North Yorkshire, has never played at Barnard Castle, or watched a game.

"I wish I had time to watch a game," he said.

"Working for Sky, it's non-stop cricket back-to-back. But I do come to Barnard Castle - my butcher's here, McFarlane's, and I get my hair cut at Saks."

Earlier, he unveiled a plaque marking the changing rooms' opening. Or, he would have unveiled it if the wind hadn't beaten him.

Beaming with pride, Mr Walker said: "It's a proud day for me, and for the club. It represents everything that we have been working towards for the past seven years.

"But it doesn't stop here. We've been denied promotion to the premier division of the NYSD league because of the facilities, so now we hope to achieve that.

"Eight of our first team are under-17s. We want to reach a standard where our best young players don't go elsewhere."

To mark the anniversary, 22 of the club's under-13s, 15s, and 17s played a 20-over match. They will be here when the PCSOs and traffic cones are long gone.