SURREY MATCH ABANDONED AS ARROW IS FIRED ON TO PITCH
A CROSSBOW bolt landed just yards from players yesterday when it was fired on to the field during a county cricket match.
Cricketers fled and fans were told to take cover inside as armed police raced to the scene in response.
The match between Surrey and Middlesex was abandoned after the ground was put on lockdown.
The Metropolitan Police do not believe the attack was terrorist related as they scoured CCTV footage from outside the south London ground, where officers say it was fired from.
The Oval is adjacent to a busy road and is overlooked by a housing estate and a number of flats.
Umpire Paul Baldwin picked up the red aluminium bolt with yellow flights after it was shot into the grass around 4.35pm. Careful to preserve any fingerprints, he then handed it over for forensic tests.
Middlesex batsmen John Simpson and Nick Compton and Surrey’s fielders were ushered away after the bolt was discovered.
About 2,000 spectators at the 25,000capacity ground were then told to go inside, amid fears that more bolts could be fired. A public announcement stated: ‘On the advice of our security team, please take cover.’
A Surrey cricket spokesman said: ‘We were about to bowl the next ball and the arrow appeared two pitches to the side of the pitch we’re playing on at the moment.
‘The umpires took it out of the ground and got the players off as quickly as possible.’
Despite the potential danger, some of the players saw the funny side, with Compton making Robin Hood jokes.
Surrey captain Gareth Batty, who was close to where the missile landed, said ‘It was a pretty tasty arrow with a proper metal end. I did archery as a kid and that was not a normal archery arrow. The umpires dealt with it very well. There were no questions asked. We just left the field very quickly.
‘If it had hit someone it would have caused some serious damage.’
Crossbows are not illegal to own in Britain but can be considered an offensive weapon if carried in public.
Richard Gould, chief executive of the Surrey club, said: ‘ We will review our security but being in central London you have to be on guard for these issues.’
A 31-year-old man was arrested yesterday after being found carrying a large Rambo- style commando knife near Westminster Cathedral.