THE pavilion at Bamford Fieldhouse Cricket Club has been ravaged by fire.

Fire crews were called to the club off Hollin Lane on Thursday night.

It is believed that the fire started around a UPVC door in the pavilion’s conservatory before spreading to the main roof. Investigators are now trying to establish the cause.

Some 15 firefighters spent four hours battling the flames after being called to the club at about 9.30pm. One crew remained at the scene throughout the night.

Eddy Dorrington, watch manager at Heywood fire station, said: "We had to pull down part of the ceiling to get to the fire but because the roof is metal it didn’t cause that much damage to the outside of the building.

"The main damage is to the UPVC so the club should be able to repair it."

Bamford Fieldhouse CC are reigning champions of the Saddleworth League.

Club chairman Andy Barton said the pavilion could cost up to £250,000 to rebuild.

He added: “We are absolutely gutted. A lot of hard work by a lot of people has been ruined.

“We've had quite a successful season and something like this comes along and puts a dampener on it. The only consolation is it has happened at the end of the season.

“At the moment we don’t know what happens next, we will have to wait and see what the insurers say, but we will rebuild it.”

Observer sports reporter Mike Floyd said the fire was a ‘sickening blow’.

He added: "Bamford Fieldhouse have worked very hard on and off the field to provide a top class facility for cricketers of all ages.

"Perhaps the only compensation is that it has come at the end of yet another successful season and not at the beginning when it would have been even more devastating."