A CRICKET club's future has been thrown into disarray after a 30-strong armed gang torched their £140,000 cricket pavillion.

After fighting a pitched battle with members of Hatch End Cricket Club and their opposition Old Camdenians, around ten of the group set the building alight destroying 75 years of local history.

Avi Bagchi, 28, of Colburn Avenue, who plays for Hatch End, said: "I saw the kids basically breaking in and setting it on fire. There were at least ten or 12 of them.

"I saw smoke coming out and then I saw them legging it. Literally within a few mintues, it was ablaze."

The initial fighting on Saturday broke out after members of the gang started stealing the boundary markers.

The club house was completely gutted during the attack leaving little more than a single stool at what was once the bar, and a till which somehow survived.

But in among the charred wooden boards that once made up the now ruined building lie the scorched remains of irreplacable photos and momentos collected over the decades.

All have been destroyed and stories of past glory now live on only in newspaper cuttings and the memories of players.

Members of Hatch End are determined not to see it die and are asking for financial support from readers. Anyone who wants to offer help can contact Stuart Taffs, chairman of the club, on 07710 226 457.

Several people were arrested during the initial fighting but no one has been arrested in connection with the arson.

Anyone with information can contact Police on 0208 733 3441, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.