Village cricket club near Northampton 'devastated' as 'mindless' arson attack destroys equipment worth tens of thousands
A village cricket club near Northampton has been left “devastated” after a massive fire destroyed all of its equipment, valued at tens of thousands of pounds.
Heyford Cricket Club has launched an online fundraiser following a devastating arson attack that destroyed their storage unit and all of their grounds equipment.
Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue Service (NFRS) said they were called to Heyford Cricket Club just after 9pm on Friday (August 23). On arrival, crews found a container on fire, spreading to nearby trees and fencing. The fire was extinguished by 10pm, but all contents were destroyed. The fire is believed to have been started deliberately, according to NFRS.
Rob Pardon, chairman of the cricket club, said: “I’m just a bit devastated and a bit drained by it all. Just gutted really. Heyford Playing Fields has suffered spates of vandalism in recent years, we sense that while this wasn’t a deliberate act to cause as much damage as it has, it’s more a result of mindless behaviour.”
Speaking to BBC Radio Northampton, Rob detailed the extent of the damage: “It’s really early days. The cricket club’s storage container is the one that got hit completely. The other clubs have survived much better. But our roller, less than three years old, that was £12,000. Cricket club equipment is incredibly specialist...what may look like a relatively normal petrol lawn mower, a specialist piece of equipment for the cricket strip, that’s £8,000 to buy new.
"40 years of being a cricket club you collect various bits of equipment and fill a storage locker full of it, and pretty much there’s nothing standing.”
Despite the setback, the club has received a “phenomenal” response from the community, raising £3,385 of its £7,500 target with an online fundraiser. Click here to donate.
Speaking to BBC Radio Northampton, Rob said: “It’s really galvanised the club and the local village community. We’ve got insurance but we still don’t know how that’s going to unravel because how do you put a value on a specialist lawn mower that’s 20 years old, and we definitely don’t have a receipt or invoice for it.”
The cricket community has shown solidarity, with neighbouring clubs offering financial support, equipment sharing, and the use of their grounds to help Heyford Cricket Club fulfil its remaining fixtures this season.
Heyford Football Club, which was also affected by the fire, has also started an online fundraiser for new security cameras to be installed.
Lewis Dellar, a volunteer coach, said: “As part of the measures to try and recover, rebuild, we are looking for donations to install an up-to-date CCTV and intruder alarm system on the site as a visual deterrent for any further antisocial behaviour.” Mr Dellar’s GoFundMe page has so far raised £730 of its £2,500 target for the new security system.
A spokeswoman for Northamptonshire Police said: “Between 9.30pm and 10.30pm on Friday, August 23, the groundsman’s machinery was destroyed after a container is believed to have been deliberately set on fire.”
Witnesses or anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call Northamptonshire Police on 101, quoting reference number 24000506971.