WORCESTER'S historic Cinderella sports ground pavilion is expected to be saved from the bulldozers - with a museum set to take it away.

Just one day before Worcester City Council was due to vote on approving the demolition of the famous old structure, Avoncroft Museum has stepped in and wants to strike an agreement to take it away.

The old pavilion, which dates back to the 1870s when it was the former home of Worcestershire County Cricket Club, was condemned as unsafe 10 years ago and has fallen into a shocking state since.

On Thursday the city's planning committee was meeting to vote on a £365,000 overhaul of the Bransford Road site, which included a proposal to demolish it for a new-build after efforts to renovate it failed.

After an article appeared on our website on Wednesday, Avoncroft Museum contacted the council.

The funds earmarked towards knocking it down are now expected to be used to fund the removal costs of the structure, which will be maintained at the museum's Bromsgrove base as long as experts deem it feasible.

The £365,000 sports ground overhaul is a joint project by the Heart of Worcestershire College and council, with the site leased from Arndale Properties.

Senior planning officer Alan Coleman, speaking during the meeting, said: "We had sought to engage with Avoncroft Museum without much luck until yesterday afternoon (Wednesday) after a very well-written article in the Worcester News, when I had a call about taking it on.

"It's being recommended that a payment is made equivalent to what the demolition costs would have been so Avoncroft Museum can take it and restore it.

"Yesterday I thought we had the cake but no icing on that cake.

"Perhaps the cherry on top of that cake would have been us retaining it but that's not possible, it's fallen into disrepair, but we now have this chance to salvage it at the museum."

He said the council was "very happy" to finally be in a position to get the site back into sporting use.

Councillor Alan Amos, planning committee chairman, said: "This deal certainly wasn't on the table yesterday, but it is now.

"It's essential we do everything we can to preserve our heritage."

Councillor Derek Prodger, who represents the area, said: "It's very sad to see this pavilion as it is now, I played cricket on it.

"It won't be easy for Avoncroft to take it away but I'm delighted. The ground is abysmal, it needs development."

A new pavilion will now be constructed, with the site being used by college students and the Worcester Dominies and Guild Cricket Club, with the college saying it intends the new-look site to become "a leading sports venue" from April 2016.

The old pavilion was the site of a number of historic moments in cricket history, such as WG Grace playing for Worcestershire in 1868 and a visit by Australia in 1878.

After the meeting Simon Carter, a director at Avoncroft Museum, urged caution but said he was hopeful it can be achieved.

"We are a musuem of 'last resort', we don't just jump in if we feel there is still an option for something staying put, and have remained low key," he said.

"We had still hoped there was a chance of restoring it, but the costs are prohibitive.

"The next step is to get in there, clear the undergrowth and get a specialist building contractor on-site, to see how much can be re-used, we need to have an historic building of value and not a facsimile."

He said there was more talking to do over the costs, and that the museum had been in touch with the council for a number of years over the site.