A TOWN'S baseball team will have a shining new grandstand in time for their start of season after they were successful in a grant application.

The Essex Arrows, based at Town Mead Recreation Ground, in Waltham Abbey, have been awarded £12,000 from the Essex Community Fund and also hope to gain £5,000 from the Baseball Softball UK.

Arrows chairman and manager Dave Shaer said: “We wanted to attract people to the field so we put in the application for the grandstand, batting cages and dug-outs. They came back with it which is fantastic news.”

Mr Shaer said the new facilities would be in place for the start of the season at the end of April, where for the first time the Arrows will be taking part in the national Baseball Federation League.

Waltham Abbey Town Council leader Stuart Pryde said: “It gives us the funding to really promote the facility there. We are trying to enhance our baseball facility to make it a championship quality facility.”