Many glasses were raised in the bar at Newcaste Cricket Club on March 15th when club steward Allan Knaggs was presented with the award for CAMRA Tyneside Club of the Year 2013.

The award, presented by the Campaign for Real Ale, was not the first prize that the Osborne Avenue-based club has received in recent months. They were proud winners of Cricket Club of the year back in November.

Talking about the latest prize for the club, Knaggs said that “we’re here to serve the community, and ever since we started the beer festival, the demand for the real ales has gone up. And now we’re seeing the same thing with the locally-produced ciders. It’s great that the microbreweries are springing up around Tyneside.”

Part of the reason the club won their prize was their Real Ale festival, an October tradition introduced four years ago. Its continual development is showcased by the ever-broadening choice of real ale on offer in the Newcastle Cricket Club bar.

CAMRA regional chairman Ian Lee, who presented the award to Knaggs, told JesmondLocal that “our members have voted for Newcastle, not only for the very successful Real Ale festival but also because of the growing commitment to real ales all year round, with three on offer in the Pavilion Bar.”

The club could win a third award. with excitement high amongst its members. The club is now looking forward to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) North East Renaissance Awards on 19th April, for which they have been shortlisted in the running for an architectural award, thanks to the £150,000 renovation to the entrance of the club.