A cricket club’s pavilion has been bowled out by environmental health issues.

A New Forest District Council environmental health officer visited Ellingham’s clubhouse at Picket Post last week and found mouse droppings in the kitchen.

The officer told the club to close it and the bar until work is carried out to stop mice getting in.

“They closed the lot down on a weekend when we had two games, one on Saturday and the other on Sunday, and we lost £300 in bar takings,” said treasurer Bernard Curtis.

“We’ve only got a tea urn and a kettle in there. The wives make sandwiches and bring them to matches and they are devoured after a couple of hours.”

He was even more concerned with the environmental health inspector’s next request.

“He asked that we provide the names and addresses of the ladies who provide the teas at home games, saying they should be registered as catering businesses and as such he wanted to inspect their kitchens.”

“We question whether this edict will be sent to other cricket clubs in the New Forest, in which case they should be forewarned and, indeed, if the council have the authority to demand such information,” he said.

He refused to give them the information.

This week club members have been making the pavilion mouse-proof, filling holes in the woodwork at the base of the building, mending a crack in the kitchen wall and replacing and relocating contaminated shelves.

A district council spokesman said: “A routine food hygiene inspection was carried out by an experienced officer to establish whether the club has a food management system in place that ensures food safety.

“In order to establish this, environmental health officers have to have a good understanding of the whole process, including the preparation, storage, and handling of food, as well as where ingredients come from.

“It is normal procedure to establish the source of the food and how it is prepared. The council reserves its legal right to enter premises where food is prepared for public consumption.”

The club hopes to get a clean bill of health during a follow-up council inspection, which is due to take place today.