A FAN fan has restored a bit of sporting history at Somerset County Cricket Club's home ground in Taunton.

Graham Sparks has returned a bench at the County Ground's cricket museum to its former glory.

Graham, who specialises in antique restoration at his Longroom Barn workshop at Tonedale Mill, Wellington, got the call to repair the bench, which had previously been used for seating at the Nursery End at Lord’s between 1929 and 1989.

Since then it has been sited outside the county's cricket museum, during which time one of the seat rails has started to rot away.

Graham picked up the bench and spent a fortnight renovating it before returning it to the ground.

He said: "I was delighted to be able to carry out this work as a token gesture to Somerset County Cricket Club for all the pleasure that they have given to me and my family over the years.

"I had to replace one of the nine-foot slats and burn off the old paint on the iron work and refurbish the original western cedar timbers to give it a new lease of life for many years to come."