Take a look at CAMRA’s Pub of the Year

A pub in Merseyside has been crowned Pub of the Year in the Campaign for Real Ale’s (CAMRA) annual competition just five years after it was left to rot.

The Cricketers Arms won CAMRA’s regional Pub of the Year award in 2016.

Pub-owners Andy and Denise Evans bought the dilapidated Cricketers Arms, now a community pub in St Helens, Merseyside, back in 2013. It hadn’t served cask ale since the 1890s, and was boarded up for closure.

But the Evanses worked tirelessly over five years to turn the boozer around. Today, The Cricketers Arms has a selection of 13 locally sourced cask ales, and up to 20 ciders in the summer.

The Cricketers Arms regularly wins local CAMRA awards, but this is the first time it has won a national title. Paul Ainsworth, CAMRA’s National Pub of the Year coordinator said: “After winning the regional award in both 2015 and 2016, it’s a well deserved third time lucky for the Cricketers to be named CAMRA’s national Pub of the Year.

Pubs in the competition are selected by CAMRA volunteers and judged on their atmosphere, decor, welcome, service, community focus and most importantly – quality of beer.

Owner Andy Evans said: “We are over the moon to be named the top pub in the country after just a few short years of renovations. We’ve done everything we can to make this a welcoming community pub and still have exciting developments ahead of us.

“As well as expanding the beers available, we created a beer garden and put greens in the ground, and have big plans to install a microbrewery this year. We are very proud to be part of the cask ale scene and look forward to celebrating with our locals!”