A CARE home resident was bowled over as he returned to a cricket stadium he worked at while it was constructed.

David Robinson, 85 and from Ferndown, visited the Ageas Bowl in Southampton for a fully guided tour.

The Ferndown Manor resident is a lifelong fan of the sport and played when he was younger, captaining Poole Cricket Club.

He worked at Hampshire’s ground on the accounting team while it was being constructed more than 20 years ago.

On his tour, David saw the changing rooms, backstage areas, and grounds, and it allowed him to reminisce on his time spent there.

Bournemouth Echo: David Robinson worked at the Ageas Bowl more than 20 years ago.

David said: “The best bit of the day was getting to relive some of my best memories, and it was nice to have my son Nigel with me too.

"I have lots of favourite players and couldn’t choose one, but I was good friends with some of the England team, including Shane Warne.”

The visit was a part of the care home’s ’Wishing Tree’ initiative.

The home, which is a part of Care UK, encourages residents to put wishes forward, to allow them to reconnect with a past hobby or to try something new.

Sara Muslin, home manager at Ferndown Manor, said: “Everyone at Ferndown Manor knows that David is a huge fan of all things cricket, and so it was wonderful to be able to organise such a special visit for him. It was great to see him in his element on the cricket pitch.

“We’re always keen to support residents to continue to enjoy their favourite pastimes and share memories which hold special importance to them, and visits like this are a great way to encourage reminiscence.

“Thank you to Ageas Bowl Cricket Stadium for hosting us and showing David around the stadium – I’m sure we will be talking about this for a long time to come."