"WE'RE not ones to rest on our laurels here", says landlord Andy Evans.
For a pub previously named the best boozer in the country, this is a fair assessment of the Cricketers Arms, which has constantly evolved since Andy left the Post Office to take over the business in 2013.
With the Peter Street building on the verge of being boarded up before Andy and his wife Denise took it over, the couple have consistently diversified their offer to make the Cricks one of the most popular pubs in St Helens.
Over the past 11 years, the couple has offered an ever-increasing selection of cask ale and craft beers, refurbished the bar and beer garden, launched their own microbrewery, and installed an in-house pizza kitchen.
However, with Andy believing that the Cricks team has "still not delivered the best version of this pub", several other transformations have taken place this year and there is much more to come.
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Earlier this summer, the pub's exterior was redecorated with a fresh green paint job and an intricate floral display, while the adjoining car park was converted into an attractive summer beer garden.
With the extra beer garden affording the Cricks team more space, the new area contained a converted horse box called 'Tracey's Ice Cream Box' which offered cool refreshments while the 'Pavilion Summer Kitchen' provided customers with some hearty pub grub.
The Cricks' toilets have also been improved and the pub's beer cellar has also been refurbished and refitted.
"We're always busy here, but we wanted this year to be the time where we invested in the pub", Andy said.
"We didn't want to do a full shutdown with the risk of customers going elsewhere, so we have done things bit by bit, and initially focused on the repainting, beer garden, and outdoor kitchen in time for summer.
"The outdoor kitchen has been really popular, and this has built on the success of the pizza kitchen, which is really established now and open seven days a week."
After the success of this year's reinvestment, Andy has further plans to refurbish the pub's interior and improve the selection of Cricks' 'Howzat' brewery, with the goal to sell this in other pubs.
There are also plans to improve the outdoor parking facilities and renovate the pub's upstairs space into a 'Church View eatery and function room', complete with a bar, kitchen, and lounge area.
And following the success of the latest Cricks Fest, which took place last weekend, the team also aims to introduce the craft beer festival as a seasonal event four times a year.
"We always have something on the go as we're not ones to rest on our laurels here", Andy added.
"The beer brewing is my favourite part of the job at the minute, but we constantly want to improve our facilities to make this a better pub.
"I still don't think we have delivered the best version of this pub, but we're getting there, and should be there in the next year or two."
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