The winning pub was the Cricketers Arms in St Helens - a well-established local with an excellent selection of 13 locally sourced cask ales and up to 20 ciders. When announcing the award Paul Ainsworth, CAMRA’s national pub of the year coordinator said: "In less than five years a boarded up pub on the brink of closure has been converted into a true destination pub for beer lovers across the country. What impressed me the most is that the Cricketers is a genuine community pub where people from all walks of life come together to socialise. It is a shining example of how a pub, which seemed destined for closure, can have its fortunes turned around when in the right hands."
The national club of the year is the Flixton Conservative Club. Keith Spencer, Chairman of CAMRA's Clubs Working Group explained: "The club has transformed itself over the last few years and expanding the real ale offering from just two to six at a time. The club is reaping the benefits and has become a thriving hub to the local community and a worthy winner of this year's award."
The runner-up pub is Wigan Central. CAMRA’s Graham Donning described it as “a wonderful take on a modern bar nestling in a 19th century railway arch. It signals that imagination and attention to detail can make a themed pub a winner. Our judges gave points for the friendly service, condition of real ales and ciders, and the unique use of railway arrival and departure screens to give clear information about the beers on tap and in the cellar.
2:00 pm: Autumn Pub of the Season, Beartown Tap, Congleton.