Cricketers Arms enjoys overwhelming feedback after unveiling new look

Despite being named CAMRA's National Pub of the Year in 2017, the Cricketers Arms has never rested on its laurels or shied away from trying new things.

With landlords Andy and Denise Evans consistently diversifying their offer at the Cricks, there has been an increasingly wider selection of real ales at the pub, supported by their in-house microbrewery and ability to brew their own beer Howzat.

Following the difficulties of covid and the cost of living crisis, the Peter Street boozer also adapted to offer an in-house pizza kitchen and an improved beer garden and bar area, complete with numerous sports screens and Saints memorabilia.

And with business remaining steady despite the difficulties of the last few years, Andy and Denise have diversified again by offering a fresh new look at the Cricks.

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The Pavillion Summer Kitchen opened on June 1 (Image: St Helens Star)
With a freshly coloured green frontage on the pub's exterior, the car park to the left of the Cricks has been converted into a temporary summer beer garden, complete with a floral display that Andy says will be "jaw dropping" when in full bloom.

As the beer garden affords the Cricks team more space, the outdoor 'Pavilion Summer Kitchen' also launched over the weekend, selling hearty pub grub such as hotdogs, burgers, steak, and chicken wings.

A converted horse box, to be called 'Tracey's Ice Cream Box' and a big screen projector are also hoped to be installed this week, in time for the upcoming Euros.

Andy and Denise have placed added emphasis on the greenery in the beer garden (Image: Andy Evans)
The Cricks' toilets have also been improved and there are further plans to renovate the pub's upstairs space into a 'Church View eatery and function room', complete with a bar, kitchen, and lounge areas.

In addition to this, a mobile app is also in the works to order drinks off your phone and alleviate pressures on the bar.

New toilets at the Cricks (Image: Andy Evans)
Speaking about the opening weekend of the summer beer garden and Pavillion Kitchen, Andy said: "We have been a little bit restricted on what we can do, because anything that we can't pack away in a few hours would need planning permission from the council.

"So I think with these restrictions in mind, we have come up with a banging solution to cater for an increased demand over summer.

"It's always a bit nerve-wracking when you're trying something new, but we have put a lot of money into this and the feedback has been overwhelming.

"Apart from a couple of issues that we ran out of food, which is a learning curve for us, things couldn't have gone better.

"It's brilliant to think of all the things to come and nobody can say that we don't look to improve things here!"

Thew new-look Cricketers Arms also aims to renovate its upstairs to offer further space (Image: St Helens Star)
The Summer Pavilion Kitchen is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 3 to 8pm, with last orders at 7.15pm, while Tracey's Tea Box is hoped to open on June 8.

The Church View is subject to planning permission from St Helens Council but is aimed to open towards the end of the year.