Bourton Vale cricketer Chris Hughes, one of the stars of the most recent series of reality TV show Love Island, is used to bowling the maidens over.

You don’t get on a show like Love Island if you don’t know the difference between a short leg and a fine leg of course.

It’s all a bit of fun but Hughes is pretty famous these days and he’s just released his first single with fellow Love Island star Kem.

And when he’s not in the recording studio and rubbing shoulders with the (almost) famous, he’s found time to play a bit of cricket too.

Sadly, it wasn’t for his village team, but Bourton could be about to benefit from his new-found celebrity.

Kevin Langley, chairman of Bourton Vale, told The Local Answer: “Chris is a decent cricketer and he’s become friendly with some of the players from Yorkshire.

“He played in a recent benefit game for Ryan Sidebottom and we’re hoping that some of the Yorkshire players will come down and play at the start of next season to mark the opening of our new pavilion.”

Work on the new pavilion started last month and it is hoped it will be completed by the end of March at the latest in time for the start of the new season in mid-April.

Langley hopes to get some Gloucestershire players involved for the special game as well, along with 24-year-old Hughes who, for obvious reasons, was not able to play as much cricket as the club would have liked last season.

“I think he only managed one game,” said Langley. “That was against Chipping Sodbury and he took seven wickets. He bowls medium pace and I’m not sure he knows what he’s doing with the ball but then nor do the batsmen!”

Hughes retains strong links with the club. His brothers Ben Hughes and Tom Arkell both play and the one-time Cotswold School pupil’s parents still farm in the area.

“He’s a great lad,” added Langley. “He’s found fame and a bit of fortune quite quickly.”

And what about his new rap single? What does Langley think of it?

“It’s alright,” he laughed, “it’s quite catchy as these things go!”