05:40
The future of Sion Mills Cricket Club, the scene of Ireland’s famous win over West Indies in 1969, is in doubt following an arson attack.
Equipment was destroyed in the blaze and graffiti written onto buildings at the ground.
“Our ride-on lawnmowers, our strimmers and things like that have been destroyed. It’s groundskeeping equipment and it’s expensive stuff,” Simon Galloway, the club captain and secretary, told News Letter. “We don’t have the money to replace it. It could be a final nail in the coffin for Sion Mills Cricket Club after 155 years.
“This building was our equipment store. What they’ve done is brought a ladder from somewhere, who knows where, and they’ve gone in through a hole in the roof. They painted this – HRY – on the roof first of all. Whatever that means, I don’t know. And then they’ve set fire to the shed.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up with the target of raising £5000. Police are investigating the incident which follows recent fires at the next door derelict Herdman’s Mill site.
Earlier this year marked the 50th anniversary of when Ireland beat West Indies by bowling them out for 25 in their first innings. Douglas Goodwin claimed 5 for 26 in an innings where the top score was 6 by Clyde Walcott.
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