The chairperson of Chevening Amblers has spent a day at Lord’s watching England with MCC president Stephen Fry after recognition for helping save the club from extinction.

Sheena Recaldin, who took over the role as chair of the club in Chipstead, near Sevenoaks, after the previous occupant stood down suddenly and unexpectedly, joined actor and comedian Fry in the President’s Suite at the Home of Cricket for the first day of England’s comprehensive Test victory against Ireland.

Recaldin was selected as an MCC Community Cricket Hero for her work in saving the club but also the work she has done to nurse them back into a good position to allow for long-term planning.

She pulled together a committee and negotiated terms with the owners of the ground to keep the lights on, allowing the club to continue their existence and keeping cricket in the village.

Speaking about her day at Lord’s, Recaldin said: “I’m very proud to be here, it’s a great honour.

“I have always enjoyed cricket, having been involved for a long time with my two sons, one of which captains our Sunday team. We are one of the oldest cricket clubs in the world at Chevening, I think our first match was recorded in the 1640s.

“Cricket is hugely important as it’s a really nice way to bring communities together.”

When asked about watching the game from the President’s lounge, she added: “It’s extraordinary, and I can’t imagine having a better view ever to watch the cricket.

“I’m lost for words, it’s amazing.”

The campaign, run in conjunction with The Cricketer magazine, was launched in March to find 11 unsung grassroots cricket heroes from across the country.

The winners, all invited to spend a day at Lord’s during the England versus Ireland Test, were chosen from hundreds of nominations received by the MCC and by a special panel, which included Fry and former England cricketers Claire Taylor and Mike Gatting.

Fry said: “It was fantastic to meet and welcome Sheena and our MCC Community Cricket Heroes to Lord’s and, in some small way, thank them for their amazing contributions to the grassroots game.

“It’s right that we recognise and celebrate the vital role they, and countless other individuals like them, play in making our game what it is.

“They epitomise all that is good about the sport and the values of MCC.”