A cricket club that was completely submerged during Storm Desmond in 2015 is backing a campaign to highlight the impact of extreme weather on sports grounds.

Corbridge Cricket Club, which was left with a wrecked clubhouse and a pitch six feet underwater, is supporting the Common Grounds initiative.

The national campaign was launched this month by ex-England footballer Paul Merson and aims to raise awareness of how climate change is affecting grassroots sports.

The club has spent hundreds of thousands of pounds recovering from the floods and was named the 'Greenest Cricket Club in England' by Cricketer magazine last year.

But the club's chairman, John Maude, said that many other clubs across the North East are struggling to cope with similar challenges.

The club was named  'Greenest Cricket Club in England' by Cricketer magazine last year (Image: Supplied) Mr Maude said: "The reality is that we are seeing the effects of climate change.

"We had one spell where it never rained for seven weeks which is pretty unprecedented in this part of Northumberland - but then you’ll get heavy, rainy spells.

"I suppose we’ve always had extreme weather from time to time but the difference is that those extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and that brings challenges for us all."

Corbridge Cricket Club is keen to share its experiences and provide guidance to other clubs facing similar issues.

Mr Maude said: "We managed to attract funding and investment from all sorts of people.

"With that money, we were able to build the pavilion on supports which elevates it above ground level to safeguard against future flooding and do some smart things like having plug points higher up the wall.

"We also embraced all sorts of environmentally-friendly actions - we installed solar panels, replaced gas boilers with a high-efficiency electric system, had a recycling push and created a meadow, which not only looks very pretty and increases biodiversity but also helps in terms of water absorption."

The club believes that these measures not only help in dealing with the immediate crisis but also save money in the long run.

Mr Maude said: "There may be a string of things that different clubs can do, depending on their own individual circumstances but it is important that people realise this could become more and more of an issue in the years ahead."

John Maude, chairman (Image: Supplied) The effects of extreme weather are not limited to cricket clubs.

Alnmouth Golf has suffered from coastal erosion, losing land to the sea, and last year, Storm Babet destroyed half of its fifth tee green.

Hartlepool Golf Club is also under threat from the sea and has applied for permission to create new holes.

Non-league football has also been hit hard, with 302 out of 842 scheduled fixtures in the Northern League postponed last season due to widespread flooding.

Some clubs were 10 weeks behind schedule and barely played a game between October and March.

The Corbridge chairman admits some solutions are unlikely to be cheap, but other actions will save clubs money, grants are available, and local voluntary effort can make a big difference.

Mr Maude said: "One of the best approaches might be for clubs to share knowledge and what has worked and not worked for them."