CAMPAIGNERS trying to save Worcester's historic 130-year-old cricket pavilion are hoping to put up a blockade to prevent it being demolished when bulldozers move in tomorrow.

Developers have told the city council they plan to knock down the timber building on the Cinderella Ground in Bransford Road, St John's, after English Heritage refused requests to make it a listed building.

The news comes after it was revealed that Reality Group - the company which owns Kays - still owns the site and is behind the demolition plan.

The council had hoped to appeal against the decision and was planning to serve a preservation notice to prevent any demolition for six months, but have now decided against this after taking legal advice.

As the Worcester News reported, the pavilion's fate has touched the hearts of cricket lovers around the world, particularly as English cricket legend WG Grace played on the ground in 1870.

But the romantics appear to have lost out to SJS Property Management, who, acting on behalf of Kays, plan to build homes nearby.

Councillor David Clark, who described the demolition as "wanton vandalism" said that protesters would not give up easily.

He said: "I'm trying to get as many people as I can to get their cars parked in the way of the bulldozers on Thursday morning.

"It would be good if we can find people who are willing to do that, to stop the developers, temporarily at least. "English Heritage did say that they felt the building did not have sufficient special interest in a national context to merit listing.

"My argument would be that even if that is so, the pavilion most certainly has sufficient local interest due to its unique history to merit its retention."

Coun Clark said support for the pavilion had come from as far afield as India, Dubai and Australia.

The whole Cinderella site, which was owned by Kays since 1960, is currently subject to a planning appeal for housing development, but those plans keep the current sports pitches and pavilion.

Will Scott, the city council's conservation officer said: "This makes it all the more strange that Kays plan to demolish it.

"Knocking the building down is unjustified and an unnecessary loss of an important piece of Worcester's history."

Mr Scott said that discussions were still continuing and "a few legal avenues are left open".

He said: "Even if we cannot stop the bulldozers from moving in I would call upon the developers to have a change of heart because once this part of the city's heritage is lost, it will be lost forever."

When the pavilion was closed last year because of safety concerns, the council said it would give a grant towards the estimated cost of £25,000 for repairs but Kays did not take up the offer.

A spokeswoman for SJS said its planning and development director Chris Hall was due to have meetings about the pavilion and was unavailable for comment at the time of going to press.