Popular village pub destroyed in fire

A fire has destroyed a pub part-owned by England cricketer Stuart Broad, popular with Grantham diners, .

The Tap and Run in Upper Broughton, near Long Clawson, went up in flames at about 3.30am in the morning.

Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue which put out the blaze using eight appliances, an aerial ladder platform, water carrier, and command support vehicle.said no-one was hurt in the incident.

The cricketer, who was playing at Trent Bridge against New Zealand on Saturday, said he was in shock and the news “hurts right now”.

He added: “Thankfully no one was hurt, the Nottinghamshire Fire Service were incredible in their efforts & thank you to the villagers for the wonderful support & sorry for the disruption.“Thinking of our awesome staff today, every single person there has created a special pub for the community. It hurts right now but we will come out the other side.”

The pub is co-owned by Broad and former Nottinghamshire seamer Harry Gurney.

Formerly known as The Golden Fleece. It had been closed for almost two years before the cricketing duo of England and Nottinghamshire cricketers Stuart Broad and Harry Gurney took it on and transformed it into a stylish yet cosy gastropub.

They opened their venue in September 2018 and it’s been a hit ever since.

Earlier this year it was named as one of Britain’s top 30 places to visit for a Sunday lunch by The Times, which picked out a selection of places that serve up a top notch roast.