Police continue hunt for Oval arrow attacker

LONDON, Sept 1, 2017 (AFP) - Police have appealed to members of the public to help them with their investigation as they continue their hunt for the person behind Thursday's extraordinary arrow attack at The Oval.

The fourth and final day of the County Championship match between Surrey and Middlesex was abandoned as a draw after the arrow, reported to have a metal tip, landed near the Surrey fielder Ollie Pope and close to the pitch.

The players alerted the umpires, who promptly halted play, with fielders and batsmen running to the safety of the changing rooms before a crowd of more than 1,000 spectators was advised to take cover.

Police evacuated the ground, with the umpires eventually abandoning the First Division fixture as a draw.

No one was injured and, according to the Metropolitan Police, it is believed the arrow was fired from outside The Oval in Kennington, south London.

Scotland Yard added they were not treating the incident as terrorism-related.

A police update issued Friday said: "Detectives from Lambeth ( in south London) are appealing for anyone with footage of the moments up to and includ- ing the loose of a crossbow bolt at the Oval to come forward

"Police were made aware at 16: 35hrs ( 1535 GMT) on Thursday, 31 August, of reports that a crossbow bolt had been loosed into the Oval Cricket Ground.

Detective Constable Dominic Landragin added: "There were significant crowds watching the match and it is likely that a num- ber of those present will have footage of the incident that could assist in our investigation.

"Although nobody was injured, this was a reckless action taken with no regard for the safety and well-being of the spectators or the players.

"It is important that we trace those responsible and I urge anyone who has footage of the incident to get in touch as soon as possible."

Surrey captain Gareth Batty, who was fielding about 25 yards from where the pink-coloured bolt landed, said Thursday: "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.

"Someone saw it in flight, there was a noise when it landed but it happened so quick. It is a deadly weapon for sure, if it had hit someone it would have caused some serious damage. It just shows the world we live in."